PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
 630 PM PDT TUE JUL 22 2008
 
 ...PRELIMINARY DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS FROM JULY 21 2008 STORMS...
 
 THIS STATEMENT MAY BE UPDATED ON WEDNESDAY. PHOTOS FROM STORM 
 SPOTTERS AND STORM TRACK MAPS WILL BE POSTED TO OUR WEBSITE. VISIT 
 OUR WEBSITE AT WEATHER.GOV/RENO FOR DETAILS.
 
 .GENERAL INFORMATION...
 SEVERAL SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS TRACKED OVER PORTIONS OF WESTERN 
 NEVADA DURING THE AFTERNOON OF JULY 21 2008...MAINLY AFFECTING LYON, 
 MINERAL, AND CHURCHILL COUNTIES. METEOROLOGISTS FROM THE NATIONAL 
 WEATHER SERVICE IN RENO SURVEYED AREAS OF REPORTED DAMAGE AND FUNNEL 
 CLOUD SIGHTINGS ALONG US HIGHWAY 50 FROM NEAR LAHONTAN RESERVOIR 
 THROUGH THE FALLON AREA AND EASTWARD TO NEAR SAND MOUNTAIN.
 
 THREE DISTINCT SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTED THE AREA: 1) 
 TRACKING FROM SCHURZ TO NEAR SAND MOUNTAIN (THIS WAS THE STRONGEST 
 AND LONGEST LASTING STORM OF THE DAY), 2) FROM NEAR WABUSKA TO 
 FALLON, AND 3) FROM NEAR LAHONTAN RESERVOIR TO WEST OF FALLON. AT 
 THIS TIME BASED ON SPOTTER REPORTS AND THE DAMAGE SURVEY EVIDENCE, 
 WE CANNOT CONFIRM A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN WITH THESE STORMS. HOWEVER 
 SPOTTERS DID REPORT FUNNEL CLOUDS WITH ROTATION AT THE BASE OF THE  
 CLOUD WITH EACH OF THESE STORMS. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT WE SURVEYED 
 A RELATIVELY SMALL AREA ALONG US HIGHWAYS 50 AND 95, WHICH MAKES IT 
 VERY DIFFICULT TO DEFINITIVELY SAY A TORNADO PATH OCCURRED.
 
 .STORM #1...
 THE STORM WHICH TRACKED EAST OF FALLON NEAR SAND MOUNTAIN (#1) 
 PRODUCED A SWATH OF HAIL POCK MARKS IN THE MUD ALONG HIGHWAY 50 
 APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 22 MILES EAST OF DOWNTOWN FALLON. THESE MARKS 
 INDICATED THAT NUMEROUS HAIL STONES OF PEA TO MARBLE SIZE OCCURRED 
 WITH THIS CELL, WITH A NUMBER OF MARKS SUGGESTING HAIL UP TO QUARTER 
 SIZE. 
 
 THERE WAS DAMAGE TO A POWER POLE IN THIS AREA WHICH APPEARED TO BE 
 CAUSED BY HIGH WINDS...HOWEVER BASED SOLELY ON THIS A WIND SPEED 
 CANNOT BE ESTIMATED. A TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTER LOCATED NEAR FALLON 
 REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD WITH THIS STORM, BUT IT IS UNCERTAIN WHETHER 
 THIS TOUCHED DOWN. A DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION EMPLOYEE WHO 
 HAPPENED BY THE SITE MENTIONED FLOODING HAD OCCURRED ACROSS DIXIE 
 VALLEY ROAD. THE DITCHES ALONG US HIGHWAY 50 WERE STILL FULL OF 
 WATER THIS MORNING, INDICATING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL FELL WITH THESE 
 STORMS.
 
 .STORM #2...
 STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE WAS NOTED SOUTHWEST OF FALLON IN THE 
 SCHINDLER LANE AND SCHECKLER CUTOFF AREAS. A FEW TREES WERE BLOWN 
 DOWN WITH BRANCHES TORN OFF. WIND SPEEDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 60 TO 70 
 MPH. A TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD WITH THIS 
 STORM AS IT PASSED OVER FALLON AND TO THE NORTH OF FALLON, HOWEVER 
 IN THE AREA WE SURVEYED WE FOUND NO INDICATIONS THAT IT HAD TOUCHED 
 DOWN. THE SPOTTER ALSO REPORTED SEEING A GREENISH COLOR TO THE SKY 
 WHICH IS INDICATIVE OF A HAIL CORE. HAIL UP TO 1.25 INCH DIAMETER 
 OCCURRED WITH THIS STORM IN FALLON.
 
 .STORM #3...
 THE STORM SURVEY CONCLUDED IN THE VICINITY OF FORT CHURCHILL STATE 
 PARK IN LYON COUNTY SOUTH OF SILVER SPRINGS, WHERE PARK RANGERS 
 INDICATED A BRIEF PERIOD OF SMALL HAIL, BUT A MORE PROLONGED PERIOD 
 OF HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INITIAL STAGES OF 
 THIS STORM. ONLY MINOR TREE DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED IN THIS AREA 
 ALTHOUGH PARK RANGERS MENTIONED THAT CLEANUP HAD ALREADY OCCURRED 
 AND THAT A PORTABLE TOILET HAD BEEN BLOWN OVER IN THE STORM. BASED 
 ON THIS INFORMATION...WIND SPEEDS WERE ESTIMATED AT APPROXIMATELY 60 
 TO 70 MPH.
 
 &&
 CS/RM/SM