Nevada severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 17 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,061 severe thunderstorm wind events in Nevada from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 30 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the September 27, 1985 thunderstorm wind in Clark County: 2 deaths. Nevada ranks 45th of 52 states and territories by count and 46th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Nevada, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- 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
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 1,0611955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 30average
- Deaths
- 724 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $119Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 202170 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 severe thunderstorm wind events common in Nevada?
Nevada averages about 30 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 45th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2021 (70). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Nevada records 97 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 46th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, 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 severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Carson City (city) leads Nevada: 7 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 48.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Clark County has the most thunderstorm wind records (309 since 1955); 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 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in Nevada?
60% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (409 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1 · Feb 7 · Mar 5 · Apr 25 · May 88 · Jun 168 · Jul 409 · Aug 227 · Sep 107 · Oct 23 · Nov 1 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Nevada?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-09-27 | Thunderstorm WindClark County | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1990-09-03 | Thunderstorm WindClark County | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2024-08-10 | Thunderstorm WindCallville Bay, Clark County One person died after being knocked off his paddleboard and into Lake Mead by outflow winds from thunderstorms in Arizona. Five other people were rescued. | 39 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2022-09-02 | Thunderstorm WindCottonwood Lndg, Clark County A man was swimming near Cottonwood Cove when outflow winds from distant thunderstorms prevented him from making it back to his boat. | 35 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2017-09-02 | Thunderstorm WindCottonwood Lndg, Clark County Thunderstorms produced strong winds near Cottonwood Cove. A man was killed when he became entangled in the mooring line of a house boat and dragged under the water. | 47 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 1985-09-03 | Thunderstorm WindWashoe County | 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 severe thunderstorm wind events in Nevada
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-07-18 | Thunderstorm WindClark County | 0 | 10 | $100M | |
| 2018-07-21 | Thunderstorm WindElko County | 48 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3.5M |
| 2013-07-19 | Thunderstorm WindNellis Afb Las, Clark County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places, 2013-07-19 to 2013-07-20; the totals are the episode's. | 62 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2.6M |
| 1998-07-19 | Thunderstorm WindMead Lake, Clark County | 0 | 0 | $2.3M | |
| 2018-07-20 | Thunderstorm WindLas Vegas Hndrsn Sky, Clark County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 62 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.6M |
| 2011-07-03 | Thunderstorm WindLas Vegas Hndrsn Sky, Clark County | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.3M |
| 2018-04-27 | Thunderstorm WindElko County | 57 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.2M |
| 2025-07-01 | Thunderstorm WindParadise, Clark County One storm episode: 16 records; the totals are the episode's. | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.0M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 4 | 3,482 | 0.11% |
| 1960s | 16 | 10,124 | 0.16% |
| 1970s | 44 | 18,714 | 0.24% |
| 1980s | 73 | 39,604 | 0.18% |
| 1990s | 126 | 85,554 | 0.15% |
| 2000s | 162 | 129,990 | 0.12% |
| 2010s | 333 | 161,286 | 0.21% |
| 2020-26 | 303 | 126,815 | 0.24% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Nevada
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-27 | Thunderstorm WindElko County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-19 | Thunderstorm WindToulon, Pershing County | 66 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-19 | Thunderstorm WindPhil Siding, Washoe County | 75 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-03 | Thunderstorm WindYucca Flats, Nye County | 67 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-03 | Thunderstorm WindSilver City, Lyon County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-03 | Thunderstorm WindStewart, Carson City (city) | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-03 | Thunderstorm WindCannon Airport Ren, Washoe County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-27 | Thunderstorm WindMercury, Nye County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-10-22 | Thunderstorm WindYucca Flats, Nye County | 62 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-10-11 | Thunderstorm WindMercury Airport, Nye County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-10-09 | Thunderstorm WindYucca Flats, Nye County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-09-26 | Thunderstorm WindYucca Flats, Nye County | 58 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.
Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in Nevada
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 7 declarations in Nevada, 7 of them major disasters; the latest on March 27, 2017.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-03-27 | DR-4307 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides | 7 |
| 2017-02-17 | DR-4303 | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides | 8 |
| 2008-01-08 | DR-1738 | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding | 1 |
| 2006-02-03 | DR-1629 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 8 |
| 2005-03-07 | DR-1583 | Heavy Rains and Flooding | 2 |
| 1999-07-20 | DR-1281 | Nv - Flash Flooding 7/8/99 | 1 |
| 1997-01-03 | DR-1153 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mud and Landslides | 7 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Carson City (city): the county's whole recordThe Nevada county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in NevadaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- High wind and dust storms in Nevada3,232 records
- Winter storms in Nevada2,084 records
- Floods in Nevada918 records