Once again strong thunderstorms have produced a lot of weather havoc across western Nevada. As of this writing, National Weather Service meteorologists are inspecting the damage to a Hawthorne motel to determine if the damage caused by a severe thunderstorm was by a tornado or just strong outflow winds. From a practical standpoint, either is capable of producing similar damage.

The storms also produced a funnel cloud in the Stead area. For the weekend, the overall weather pattern doesn’t change substantially, with a closed low pressure center in southern Nevada rotating around an unstable pool of air. With temperatures heating up to near-80 degrees Saturday look for mainly afternoon thunderstorms to pop up across the region. As is always the case with this kind of pattern, it will be hit and miss as to where the thunderstorms will hit, with some areas getting drenched and others getting missed.

Temperatures will rise into the 80s and things will slow down Sunday a bit with a slight chance of afternoon thundershowers, and will likely dry out altogether Monday with highs approaching 90.