Lake Mead Danger Sparks Warning: ‘Take Immediate Action’

National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists are urging people to be prepared to “take immediate action” on Friday night and Saturday at various lakes in the Las Vegas region, including Lake Mead, as dangerous weather moves into the area.

Monsoon-like storms are expected to return this weekend. It follows an excessive heat wave that has broken many records in the Las Vegas region, including an all-time temperature high. As of Thursday, the Harry Reid International Airport had experienced six consecutive days of temperatures above 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Excessive heat remains on Friday but is expected to break as increasing moisture returns to the region, according to the NWS office in Las Vegas.

However, the incoming storms bring several threats with them, including sudden wind gusts, isolated flash flooding and lightning strikes. On Friday morning, the NWS office in Las Vegas issued a warning on X, formerly Twitter, about severe weather.

“Thunderstorms may produce dangerous outflow winds at the local lakes today & tomorrow,” the office said. “Be prepared to get off the lake quickly, know where to find shelter, & have a way to receive weather alerts! Strong winds can occur well before any thunder or lightning.”

An infographic attached to the post said that the dangerous wind posed the biggest risk for Lake Mohave, Lake Mead and Lake Havasu.

“Strong winds may strike suddenly, and occur well ahead of any thunder or lightning,” the infographic said. “Be prepared to take immediate action and know where to find shelter!”

In a follow-up post, the office said the outflow winds posed a risk for northwestern Arizona and southern Nevada. Gusts over 45 miles per hour are expected on Friday from 1 to 10 p.m. local time.

NWS meteorologist Ashley Nickerson told Newsweek that normal monsoon season runs from the end of June through September, meaning that weather patterns bring in more moisture. The moisture causes a downward trend in temperatures, although temperatures will return to 110 degrees to 112 degrees Fahrenheit next week, Nickerson said.

As for the severe wind, Nickerson said that if boaters hear thunder, they should make an effort to get to shore.

As of Friday at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time, there were several weather alerts in place for the Las Vegas region, including an excessive heat warning, a red flag warning, a heat advisory, a fire weather watch, a marine weather statement and an air quality alert.

“A few thunderstorms will develop across northwest Arizona and far southern Nevada this afternoon and evening with a risk of very strong wind gusts. More widespread thunderstorm development is expected over the weekend. Storm coverage will trend more isolated next week as drier air works in from the west,” the forecast said.