A trough of low pressure over the region and cold air aloft fueled scattered thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert. One storm produced a large amount of graupel.
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The episode as NWS VEF wrote it up.
A trough of low pressure over the region and cold air aloft fueled scattered thunderstorms over the Mojave Desert. One storm produced a large amount of graupel.
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 Las Vegas, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 31, 1:14 PM PST, 16 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 214 PM PDT Sun Mar 31 2024 .SYNOPSIS...Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms expected to develop this afternoon and evening across the forecast area. A few showers may linger into Monday before warm and dry conditions take over through midweek. Gusty winds, a drop in temperatures, and the return of precipitation chances expected late-week into the weekend as the next storm drops into the Desert Southwest. && .SHORT TERM...Today through Wednesday. The mostly clear skies across the Mojave Desert this morning have eroded as scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms form across the region. The HRRR forecast reflectivity supports a band of convection pushing southward through central Nevada and into the southern Great Basin this afternoon. This supports the idea that convection will occur along the deformation zone between the low pressure center in northern Utah and the low center off the coast of Baja California. Modest instability will result in isolated thunderstorms that will result in locally heavier precipitation. With cooler temperatures in place than yesterday, this reinforcing band of precipitation is the justification for the remaining Winter Weather Advisories in Esmeralda, central Nye, and Lincoln counties today. Otherwise, precipitation amounts should be relatively low, with totals remaining below 0.10 inches of rain in the valleys and below 3 inches in the mountains. As this system continues to push eastward out of the area, remnant instability and moisture will result in isolated shower activity on Monday across the eastern Mojave Desert, though skies will clear west-to-east throughout the day. Ridging will extend northwestward across the Desert Southwest from a Pacific high. Resultant tightened pressure gradients will enhance gusty north winds along the Colorado River Valley on Tuesday, with light afternoon breezes expected elsewhere. Temperatures will warm to a few degrees above-average as heights rise over the Desert Southwest through midweek. .LONG TERM...Thursday through next Sunday. Another incoming weather system will produce strong, gusty south- southwest winds across the forecast area Thursday afternoon. The associated cold front will be fairly potent, with a forecast temperature drop of almost 20 degrees between Thursday and Friday afternoon. 20-40% PoPs increase across the southern Great Basin and northern Mojave Desert Thursday and Friday as the center of the low moves overhead. As mentioned in the previous discussion, rain amounts will be dependent on the trajectory of this low and subsequently, how much moisture is pulled into the region. Details will become more clear as we move through the week. && .AVIATION...For Harry Reid...Breezy southwest winds with gusts to around 20 knots will develop by early afternoon and persist through this evening before diminishing after dark. Showers are possible in the Las Vegas Valley vicinity with A ~20 percent chance of rain at the terminal. Shower activity may briefly result in locally erratic wind gusts and CIGS to around 6kft AGL. Clearing conditions expected overnight but additional showers will be possible Monday with northerly surface winds favored. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...South or southwesterly breezes are favored for most of the regional TAF sites within the Mojave Desert through this afternoon along with scattered shower activity and CIGs in the 5- 7kft AGL range. An isolated thunderstorm can't be completely ruled out either with gusty and erratic surface winds. Further north, more numerous showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected near KBIH with gusty north winds possible. Precipitation will taper off overnight with winds diminishing...though isolated shower activity will again be possible Monday. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && DISCUSSION...Varian AVIATION...Outler For more forecast information...see us on our webpage: https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter
The Las Vegas radar (KESX), 16 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:31 UTC.
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A large amount of graupel fell on Highway 95 north of Searchlight, contributing to multiple crashes. The highway was closed between mile markers 24 and 29 from 1408 to 1638 PST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, March 2024
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: 1167079.