A low pressure trough moved through eastern Nevada, causing a cold air funnel to develop.
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The episode as NWS LKN wrote it up.
A low pressure trough moved through eastern Nevada, causing a cold air funnel to develop.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Elko, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 2, 1:19 PM PST, 34 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Elko NV 219 PM PDT Sun May 2 2021 .SYNOPSIS...A few showers or an isolated thunderstorm may continue to loiter over parts of eastern NV this evening as an upper level low pressure system exits the region. High pressure returns with a warming trend starting on Monday. && .SHORT TERM...Tonight through Wednesday A northerly upper flow will increase across northern NV going into the evening as an upper trough continues its track further east into Utah. GFS and European model guidance show the upper cold pocket shrinking going into the evening with gradual upper warming increasing stability across the region. What few showers that are loitering over northeastern NV will have all but dissipated going into the evening. But some holdout instability and lingering CAPE could still fire up an isolated TS over White Pine county going into this evening. Breezy conditions across the region will continue for some time into the evening as the cold air advection will show some tacit support for the tightened pressure gradients across much of the northern and central areas of the CWA. Tonopah could be the last hold-out clocking sub- advisory level gusts at or slightly above 30mph through the overnight hours. Otherwise drier, cooler, and more stable conditions will spread into the northern and central NV as higher pressure presses further east-southeast into the Great Basin through Monday. As the upper ridge axis settles more directly over the Great Basin and increases is influence over the region, an uptick in temperatures will accompany the clearing skies and herald the return of warmer spring-like conditions that will continue through Wednesday. A weak and dry embedded upper wave with briefly flatten the more influential ridge and drag across northeast NV Tuesday afternoon. But the adequate forcing it exerts upon the region will bring breezy northwest winds to northern Elko county that will diminish going into the evening. Temperatures Monday will start mostly on the seasonal side with morning low in the high 20s to mid 30s which will turn upward into the 50s to mid 60s. A warming trend soon after will bring above average daytime highs in the 60s to low 70s on Tuesday and then mostly 70s on Wednesday. A few locations across central NV and westward into Humboldt county could see highs rising into the low 80s on Wednesday. .LONG TERM...Wednesday night through next Sunday. Ridge axis exits NV to the east Wednesday night, with southwesterly flow setting up across the CWA on Thursday as trough energy approaches from the west. Uncertainty as to the timing of the trough axis moving through Nevada. At this time NBM has dry conditions across the CWA on Thursday, which is in line with the ECMWF model that is slower to bring the west coast trough through the inter-mountain west. However, both the Canadian and GFS deterministic models bring the trough through the CWA Thursday afternoon and evening, along with some instability and shower activity along and near a line from Gabbs, NE to Jackpot. The ECMWF brings the trough and associated front through the CWA on Friday. So while models differ on the timing of the trough passage across NV, they agree with some light shower activity which may produce a couple hundredths of an inch of QPF up to perhaps a tenth of an inch, sometime between Thursday afternoon and mid-day Friday. Best chances for a little rain will be over the northeastern half of the CWA. Once the front passes, dry conditions are expected Friday night through Saturday night. && .AVIATION...Gusty northwesterly winds continue in most locations late this afternoon and into this evening. Areas of blowing dust are possible into this evening, with best chances for reduced visibility's being at KTPH. Winds largely diminish later this evening and overnight, with lighter winds on Monday. Weak instability over portions of east-central NV (including locations near KELY) early this evening may result in a light rain shower and possibly a few lightning strikes. && .LKN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && 97/96/96
The Elko radar (KLRX), 96 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:51 UTC.
1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Public reported a cold air funnel 3.5 miles NW of Spring Creek, via multiple photos. The funnel was emanating from the cloud base, but did not touch the ground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, May 2021
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 947639.