Flash Flood — Storey, Nevada

2002-08-02 · near Virginia City, Storey, Nevada

Event narrative

Flash Flood Virginia City Highlands

Wider weather episode

With monsoonal flow and ample moisture left over from the previous day's storms, several clusters of thunderstorms formed over the region. The most notable cells moved slowly across northern Lyon Co., Storey Co., and southern Washoe Co., NV during the afternoon and early evening hours. At 4:15 pm PDT, the Lyon Co. Sheriff's Office reported a flash flood with 1 ft. of standing water and mud on highway 50 between Dayton and Stagecoach, NV. Just a few minutes later at 4:19 pm PDT, a cluster of storms a little farther north dropped 3/4 inch hail in the northwest section of Reno. The storms continued to redevelop over the next few hours, causing another flood with 1 ft. of standing water, this time near the Reno Tahoe Airport on Terminal Way between Mill and Plumb St. This was reported by a spotter at 5:05 pm PDT. Heavy downpours from another cluster of storms caused flash flooding in the Virginia City Highlands between 5:00 and 6:00 pm PDT. In just 20 minutes, 1.23 inches of rain fell, washing out roads and delaying the transport of fire equipment.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5313736. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.