Clark County, Nevada severe weather history spans 937 recorded events between 1959 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 39.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #178 nationally and #1 in Nevada.
937
Recorded events
19
Direct deaths
56
Direct injuries
$298.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Clark County, Nevada severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clark County, Nevada severe weather history averages 14.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 434 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 71 events fall before 1990 and 866 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Clark County, Nevada record is flash flood, responsible for 12 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $112.7M 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 Clark County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 369 | 12 | $112.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 309 | 4 | $60.1M | 101 | 1959–2025 |
| Hail | 106 | 0 | $100.1M | 2 | 1961–2025 |
| Lightning | 54 | 0 | $5.3M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Flood | 29 | 0 | $5.1M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 27 | 2 | $13.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Dust Devil | 25 | 1 | $446K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $1.1M | F1 | 1964–2014 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2019 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Clark County, Nevada severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-04-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-10-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-08-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-09-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-03-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-01-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-05-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clark County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 1985 | Thunderstorm Wind | 2 | 0 | $0 | |
| Aug 10, 1997 | Flash Flood | HENDERSON | 1 | 4 | $4.0M |
| Jun 30, 2016 | Flash Flood | RED ROCK CANYON | 1 | 1 | $20K |
| Dec 1, 2002 | Flash Flood | LAS VEGAS | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 3, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 1 | $0 | |
| Oct 10, 2025 | Heavy Rain | PARADISE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 6, 2025 | Flash Flood | HENDERSON | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Sep 2, 2023 | Flash Flood | LAS VEGAS N AIR TERM | 1 | 0 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Major flash flooding affected much of the Las Vegas Valley. Numerous roads were closed due to water, mud, and rocks; and several people had to be rescued from vehicles. Many vehicles in parking lots were submerged in muddy water. Many homes, condos, and businesses flooded, and three dogs drowned in one home. Water got into buildings on the UNLV campus as well as a middle school and the MGM Grand Garden Arena. One landscaper died when flood waters swept him off his front-end loader.
Significant flash flooding affected much of the Las Vegas Valley. Numerous roads were closed, and several people were rescued from cars. A church was damaged by three feet of water when a retaining wall collapsed. Several people were rescued from washes. One man died when he fell into the Pittman Wash and was swept downstream.
In addition to strong winds and large hail, redeveloping severe thunderstorms produced heavy downpours which resulted in severe flash flooding in the southeast Las Vegas Valley. In Henderson, raging flood waters turned roads into rivers up to three and four feet deep. Water and mud slides closed many roads, including U.S. Highway 95, for several hours. One man was drowned when a strong current swept him under his vehicle as he tried to move it off his neighborhood street. Rescue workers performed a number of swift water rescues until as late as 8:30 pm PST. Four people were hospitilized. Flooding also resulted in the release of titanium dioxide gas (non-toxic) at the TIMET plant. Extensive damage to roads and buildings prompted the Governor to declare Henderson a disaster area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very High
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,329,548
Population (ACS)
$431K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 5, 2013 | Fire | CARPENTER 1 FIRE | FM |
| Jul 1, 2010 | Fire | CATHEDRAL FIRE | FM |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jun 24, 2005 | Fire | GOOD SPRINGS FIRE | FM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Las Vegas N Air Term 131
- Moapa 127
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Clark County, Nevada?
937 events are on record between 1959 and 2025, causing 19 direct deaths and $298.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clark County?
Flash Flood, with 369 recorded events — 39.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clark County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Clark County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clark County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clark County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clark County as very high risk, placing it in the 100 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clark 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
- Churchill County 75
- Douglas County 106
- Elko County 342
- Esmeralda County 26
- Eureka County 98
- Humboldt County 101
Cite this page
“Clark County, Nevada.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/nevada/clark-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.