Nevada high wind and dust storms
Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 17 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 3,232 high wind and dust records in Nevada from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 111 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 9, 2009 strong wind in Clark County: 2 deaths. Nevada ranks 14th of 52 states and territories by count and 36th of 51 per square mile.
High wind and dust storms in Nevada, 1996 to 2026
Wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 3,2321996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 111average
- Deaths
- 17181 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $42Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2022387 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are high wind and dust records common in Nevada?
Nevada averages about 111 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 14th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2022 (387). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Nevada records 294 high wind and dust records since 1996, 36th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Nevada have the most high wind and dust records?
Per square mile, Carson City (city) leads Nevada: 424 days with a high wind record since 1996, 2933.6 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Washoe County has the most wind records (1,124 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the windy season in Nevada?
Nevada's high wind and dust records by month. The busiest month is March (479 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 330 · Feb 375 · Mar 479 · Apr 467 · May 254 · Jun 204 · Jul 52 · Aug 54 · Sep 83 · Oct 129 · Nov 340 · Dec 465 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest high wind and dust records in Nevada?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-01-09 | Strong WindClark County · forecast zone Lake Mead/Lake Mohave National Recreation Area Two men drowned on Lake Mohave when their small boat capsized. Wind gusts between 30 and 40 mph were measured in the area at the time. | 35 kt wind | 2 | 0 | – |
| 2013-06-10 | Dust StormHumboldt County · forecast zone Humboldt Thunderstorms winds produced a dust storm that reduced visibility to near zero at times and caused a 27 vehicle pileup on Interstate 80 just west of Winnemucca near mile marker 175. One driver was killed and 37 others were injured, 4 seriously. It took crews 20 hours to clear the debris and reopen Interstate 80. ... | 1 | 37 | $1.9M | |
| 2009-11-20 | Dust StormChurchill County and 3 more · forecast zone Western Nevada Basin And Range The Nevada Highway Patrol reported that, at 1218PST, near zero visibility caused a large accident on westbound Interstate 80 about 20 miles east of Fernley. The accident involved 4 tractor trailer rigs, 3 pickups, and an SUV and caused one fatality along with 7 injuries. Elsewhere, there were numerous trees and power ... | 1 | 7 | $69K | |
| 2002-11-07 | High WindChurchill County and 3 more · forecast zone Western Nevada Basin And Range Strong wind gusts estimated at 70 mph caused near zero visibility from blowing dust on U.S Highway 95 Alternate just south of Silver Springs in Lyon County. An 11 vehicle pile-up, including one semi-trailer rig , resulted from the reduced visibility. One person was killed in the accident and five others were injured. | 61 kt wind | 1 | 6 | $410K |
| 2007-04-12 | Strong WindClark County · forecast zone Las Vegas Valley One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. The same low pressure system which brought isolated high winds on the 11th caused widespread strong winds and many areas of blowing dust in the Mojave Desert. | 40 kt wind | 1 | 2 | $7K |
| 2019-07-14 | Strong WindDouglas County and 3 more · forecast zone Greater Reno/Carson City/Minden Area A 9-year-old Reno girl died on 19 July from injuries she suffered when strong winds blew an inflatable bounce house with three children inside into power lines. The Washoe County Sheriff's Office says the bounce house was uplifted about 10 feet and got caught on the lines in a south Reno neighborhood. Deputies and ... | 23 kt wind | 1 | 2 | – |
| 2005-09-23 | High WindDouglas County and 4 more · forecast zone Greater Reno/Carson City/Minden Area On Highway 88, just west of Gardnerville, sustained winds estimated at 70 mph (61 kt) knocked over a 20-ft trailer being pulled by a pickup truck. As it fell, the trailer struck a motorcycle traveling in the opposite direction. The driver of the motorcycle was injured. His passenger was thrown from the motorcycle, and ... | 61 kt wind | 1 | 1 | $8K |
| 2014-05-10 | High WindClark County · forecast zone Lake Mead/Lake Mohave National Recreation Area In the Callville Bay area, damage included 17 house trailer skirts; nine trailer awnings; several trailer roofs; flying debris damage to some vehicles, one houseboat, and a dock; a 25 foot sailboat which was flipped off a trailer; and damage to NV Energy infrastructure. At the Las Vegas Boat Harbor, one dock was ... | 52 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $125K |
| 2012-12-15 | Strong WindClark County · forecast zone Southern Clark A skydiver was killed at the Jean Dry Lake Bed when shifting winds caused his parachute to lose lift. At least one media source reported the event as a dust devil, but this is doubtful. | 26 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 1996-06-01 | Dust DevilLas Vegas, Clark County A sky diver inadvertently crossed paths with a dust devil which aused his parachute to collapse about 30 feet above the ground. The man died from injuries sustained in the resulting fall. | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest high wind and dust records in Nevada
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-12-14 | High WindDouglas County and 2 more · forecast zone Greater Lake Tahoe Area One storm episode: 33 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 57 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $9.7M |
| 2022-12-30 | High WindLyon County and Mineral County · forecast zone Mineral/Southern Lyon | 82 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5.0M |
| 2018-03-02 | High WindElko County · forecast zone Southwestern Elko | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3.5M |
| 2013-06-10 | Dust StormHumboldt County · forecast zone Humboldt | 1 | 37 | $1.9M | |
| 2017-03-30 | High WindClark County · forecast zone Las Vegas Valley | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.8M |
| 2010-03-18 | Strong WindClark County · forecast zone Las Vegas Valley | 43 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.4M |
| 2002-04-15 | High WindClark County · forecast zone Las Vegas Valley | 62 kt wind | 0 | 4 | $820K |
| 1998-02-03 | High WindNye County · forecast zone Northern Nye | 0 | 0 | $724K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are high wind and dust records becoming more frequent in Nevada?
Nevada's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Nevada | United States | Nevada's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 232 | 14,026 | 1.7% |
| 2000s | 793 | 37,254 | 2.1% |
| 2010s | 706 | 41,748 | 1.7% |
| 2020-26 | 1,501 | 36,300 | 4.1% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent high wind and dust records in Nevada
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-27 | High WindElko County · forecast zone Southeastern Elko | 38 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-27 | High WindElko County · forecast zone South-Central Elko | 40 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-26 | High WindElko County · forecast zone South-Central Elko | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-26 | High WindElko County · forecast zone Southwestern Elko | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-06 | High WindWhite Pine County · forecast zone White Pine | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-26 | High WindClark County and Nye County · forecast zone Western Clark/Southern Nye | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-26 | High WindLincoln County · forecast zone Lincoln County Except The Sheep Range | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-26 | High WindEsmeralda County and Nye County · forecast zone Esmeralda/Central Nye | 68 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | High WindClark County · forecast zone Las Vegas Valley | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | High WindClark County and Nye County · forecast zone Spring Mountains | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | High WindClark County and Lincoln County · forecast zone Sheep Range | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | High WindClark County and Nye County · forecast zone Western Clark/Southern Nye | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Next
- Carson City (city): the county's whole recordThe Nevada county with the most high wind and dust records per square mile
- High wind and dust storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
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