A strong low pressure system persisted around the region for several days, helping to fuel thunderstorms. Several storms produced flash flooding.
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Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS VEF wrote it up.
A strong low pressure system persisted around the region for several days, helping to fuel thunderstorms. Several storms produced flash flooding.
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 May 4, 11:04 AM PST, 3 hours 12 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 1204 PM PDT Sun May 4 2025 .SYNOPSIS...Showers, thunderstorms, and much cooler than normal temperatures will persist through Monday for much of the area as a strong storm system continues to impact the area. Beyond Monday, we will see a drying and warming trend through the next week, with temperatures well above normal by the end of the week. && .SHORT TERM...through Monday Night. The strong storm system, currently centered just south of Lake Havasu continues to bring convective activity to much of the region. In areas where clearing is occurring, mainly Mohave County, we are seeing storms form in an increasingly unstable environment, with CAPE values in the 1000-1500 J/kg range through early evening. Storms will diminish in coverage and intensity after sunset. However, dynamic forcing will be enough to keep scattered shower activity going through the night in many areas. Convective activity increases again Monday around sunrise for Clark and Lincoln Counties as well as the Colorado River and Mohave County. Much cooler than normal temperatures will be the norm for today and tomorrow as we reside on the cool side of the trough. Temperatures will run 10-15 degrees below normal through Monday. .LONG TERM...Tuesday through Saturday. A period of quieter weather begins Tuesday as the strong trough of low pressure that brought us all of the active weather these past few days moves off to the east. A few showers could linger on Tuesday in Mohave County. Subsequently, a building ridge will slingshot our temperatures from well below normal to well above normal by the end of the week. Ensembles are in remarkable agreement on temperatures in Las Vegas reaching the mid-upper 90s by Saturday with a 10% chance of reaching 100. No significant winds or precipitation are expected beyond Tuesday. && .AVIATION...For Harry Reid...For the 18Z Forecast Package...Periods of showers and thunderstorms will be the primary aviation concern this forecast period, with intermittent impacts expected at the terminal including erratic gusty winds, MVFR/IFR conditions in low clouds and rain, as well as lightning strikes. Prevailing winds will be mainly northerly today with periods of variable direction due to storm outflow. Showers in the area will diminish a bit this evening with sunset. With showers will come variable and gusty winds. Showers and isolated thunderstorms will return early Monday. CIGS of 7-10kft today will decrease to 5-7kft Monday with cooler air settling in. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...For the 18Z Forecast Package...KVGT and KHND will follow similar trends to KLAS, with periods of showers and thunderstorms expected through the forecast period. Elsewhere, showers and thunderstorms remain the primary concerns for all terminals. At KBIH, convection redevelops in the vicinity of the terminal around 17Z, with the best window for thunderstorms late this afternoon. Winds will generally be northwesterly and intermittently gusty, though outflow boundaries will produce some variability. Winds at KDAG will remain westerly with gusts to 20-25KT expected from early this afternoon through Monday morning. Showers begin there around 20Z, with a window for thunderstorms late this afternoon through the rest of the forecast period. In the Lower Colorado River Valley, intermittent showers will continue much of the day, with thunderstorms expected this afternoon. Winds will generally remain northwesterly outside of boundary influences, shifting to the southwest and southeast this evening when a lull in convection is expected. In and around showers and thunderstorms this afternoon through Monday morning, erratic gusty winds, lightning strikes, and brief MVFR/IFR conditions can be expected. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && DISCUSSION/AVIATION...Berc For more forecast information...see us on our webpage: https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Las Vegas NV
1032 AM PDT Sun May 4 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0235 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 3 SW Mercury 36.62N 116.03W
05/03/2025 M69 MPH Nye NV ASOS
Corrects previous tstm wnd gst report from 3
SW Mercury. Desert Rock ASOS gusted to 69
mph from a nearby thunderstorm.
&&
JSThe Las Vegas radar (KESX), 181 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:18 UTC.
5 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Highway 62 was flooded at Iron Mountain Pump Plant Road.
A vehicle was submerged in flood waters.
Highway 95 flooded just south of the CA/NV border.
Needles Highway was flooded with water and boulders just south of the CA/NV state line.
Highway 95 flooded at mile marker 70.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in California in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in California, May 2025
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: 1264943, 1264948, 1264956, 1264958, 1264959.