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Lyon County, Nevada severe weather history spans 102 recorded events between 1979 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 28.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,876 nationally and #7 in Nevada.
102
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$8.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Lyon County, Nevada severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lyon County, Nevada severe weather history averages 2.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 38 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 9 events fall before 1990 and 93 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lyon County, Nevada record is hail, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $6.7M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lyon County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 29 | 0 | $71K | 87 | 1979–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $6.7M | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 19 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Hail | 10 | 1 | $5K | 1.75 | 1982–2015 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $1.9M | 0 | 2005–2023 |
| Debris Flow | 5 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2013–2023 |
| Tornado | 4 | 0 | $3K | F0 | 1989–1998 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2017 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $42K | 0 | 2004–2007 |
| Winter Weather | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Lyon County, Nevada severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-06-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-06-05 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lyon County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2008 | Hail | LUX | 1 | 2 | $5K |
| Jan 28, 2002 | Winter Weather | FERNLEY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Lahontan Valley News reported that a woman lost control of her vehicle on slick pavement due to an accumulation of small hail. She was ejected from her SUV as it rolled down an embankment. The accident occurred on U.S. Highway 95 near Lyon County Road 2. According to the newspaper she was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident by the Lyon County coroner.
A 40-foot-long break in the Truckee Canal released floodwater into portions of Fernley, Nevada on the morning of January 5th. Local newspapers reported that approximately 1500 people had to be evacuated from their homes. Water 2 to 4 feet deep affected as many as 500 homes. The Reno Gazette-Journal newspaper reported that more than $1.75 million in federal disaster housing assistance had been provided. In addition to this, Fernley city officials estimated that the cost to repair roads would be over $720,000.
Twenty five structures, including at least 10 homes (one 8-plex and two single-family homes), were damaged by flood waters in Dayton by the morning of the 9th. Flooding of the two single family homes in East Dayton may have been largely due to breaks in ditches and culverts incapable of handling the exceptionally large volume of water. Water depth varied from 6 inches to as much as 3 feet on the south side of the Carson River. Standing flood waters lasted for at least several days after the initial flood surge on the 8th. Schools were closed county-wide on the 9th. The damage estimate from the Lyon County Emergency Manager is considered very low-end and could actually be several million dollars for Dayton alone. In February, a Federal Disaster Declaration was approved for the January flooding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
61,680
Population (ACS)
$366K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 17, 2018 | Fire | UPPER COLONY FIRE | FM |
| Feb 17, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jan 8, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lyon County, Nevada?
102 events are on record between 1979 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $8.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lyon County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 29 recorded events — 28.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lyon County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lyon County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lyon County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lyon County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lyon County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 71 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lyon County, Nevada severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Lincoln County 139
- Mineral County 40
- Lander County 79
- Nye County 245
- Humboldt County 101
- Eureka County 98
Cite this page
“Lyon County, Nevada.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nevada/lyon-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.