A cold front moving through the area brought high winds to southern Nevada.
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The episode as NWS VEF wrote it up.
A cold front moving through the area brought high winds to southern Nevada.
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 Apr 16, 8:53 PM PST, 22 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 953 PM PDT Thu Apr 16 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... * Windy conditions are expected areawide as a cold front sweeps from northwest to southeast across the Desert Southwest. This will generate blowing dust and lead to high waves and dangerous boating conditions on area lakes. * Warming conditions are expected over the weekend as upper ridging builds in. * Increased southwesterly winds return during the first half of next week as another slow moving storm moves in along the California coast. && .DISCUSSION... A powerful upper trough will move from the Pacific Northwest across the Northern and Central Rockies through tonight. As this feature shifts north and east of the region, it will bring a one- two punch of gusty winds. Breezy southwesterly winds have already taken shape across much of the region, and as a cold front surges south, gusty northerly winds will ensue this evening into early tomorrow morning. While winds head of the front will be quite breezy, the strongest winds will occur in the wake of it. Ensemble probabilities of 35-45 mph wind gusts range from 40-70% areawide, with the greatest probabilities confined to the higher terrain and the Colorado River Valley. In fact, given the favorable wind direction, the Colorado River Valley will likely see some of the stronger winds in this event. Areas around Bullhead City and Laughlin have around a 40-60% chance of gusts in the 50-60 mph range late tonight into early Friday. However, winds of this magnitude should be rather localized and short lived. These enhanced winds will lead to areas of blowing dust, which may result in reduced visibilities and degraded air quality. Additionally, area lakes will see increased wave action and hazardous boating conditions, especially on Lakes Mead, Mohave and Havasu. Winds will improve for most areas by Friday afternoon and evening, however the Colorado River Valley will remain breezy into the weekend with the favorable northerly direction. A shot of cooler air will spill into the Desert Southwest in the wake of the cold front, but this looks to be short lived. A broad upper ridge will result in warming temperatures and lighter winds over the weekend. This will allow daytime highs to rise back above normal Sunday into Monday. This ridge will largely be reinforced by a deepening cutoff low set to meander off the California coast. Medium to long range ensembles are in generally good agreement with the progression of the cutoff low, although it has trended slower over the last few days. As this feature eventual works into the Southwestern U.S. mid next week, it will induce a broad but strong southwesterly flow. This will likely result in periods of breezy to windy conditions during the coming week, though confidence on timing and or intensity of any shortwave impulses remains too low to pin down any specific timeframe. Eventually this feature is likely to migrate into the Western U.S. bringing cooler conditions and potential some precipitation. && .AVIATION...For Harry Reid...For the 06Z Forecast Package...An incoming front will cause a wind shift to the north northwest around 06Z. Winds will intensify through the night, with gusts as high as 40 knots possible. Northerly winds will gradually decrease on Friday morning and afternoon, falling to less than 10 knots after sunset on Friday evening. Mid and high clouds will clear out behind the front and no precipitation is expected. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...For the 06Z Forecast Package...An incoming front will cause a wind shift from the southwest to the north overnight, reaching the Las Vegas Valley around 06Z, the Colorado River Valley between 08Z and 10Z, and KDAG between 09Z and 11Z. Widespread gusts between 30 and 40 knots are expected behind the front. A few gusts may approach 50 knots in the Colorado River Valley near KIFP in the morning and early afternoon. Winds will remain gusty out of the north through Friday, but gradually decrease in intensity in the afternoon and evening. While winds should fall to less than 10 knots at most locations by Friday evening, gusty northerly winds between 25 and 35 knots will persist in the Colorado River Valley through Friday night. Mid and high clouds will clear out behind the front. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && DISCUSSION... AVIATION...Meltzer 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
955 PM PDT Thu Apr 16 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0651 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 30 SSW Trona 35.37N 117.57W
04/16/2026 M60 MPH San Bernardino CA Mesonet
&&
MSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High winds were recorded for one hour at a mesonet site on the Nevada National Security Site.
A single gust of high wind was recorded at Desert Rock Airport.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Nevada in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Nevada, April 2026
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: 1335518, 1335522.