Las Vegas Flooding Event Sends Waters Raging Through the Strip

Posted: August 13, 2022 12:34 am

It was another wild night on the Las Vegas Strip as heavy rains pounded the area. For the second time in two weeks, the famed Strip became a river after heavy rain and thunderstorms moved across the Southwest.

Storms Hit Las Vegas Hard, Flooding Strip

The latest extreme weather event happened Thursday night, triggering flash flood warnings throughout southern Nevada and into the southeastern corner of California and parts of Arizona. In addition to the heavy rain, the storms brought damaging winds to the Las Vegas area, knocking out power throughout the city.

It was the wettest day at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas since March of 2020. The airport recorded 0.58 of an inch of rain in a time period of just one hour. This measurement was almost double what the airport typically sees for the entire month of August. Areas around the airport saw measurements ranging between 0.25 and 0.75 of an inch of rain.

Thursday’s heavy rain brought the total rainfall for this current monsoon season up to 1.28 inches in Las Vegas. This translates to the wettest summer monsoon season since 2012.

Tourists Stranded in Casino as Heavy Rain Fell

Tourists spending time on the Strip were stranded when Las Vegas Boulevard became flooded with the rushing water. People visiting the casinos rushed to take video of the rain flowing like a river. Water leaked down through the ceilings of many of the most popular casinos, including Caesars Palace and Planet Hollywood. Parking garages were also flooded on the ground levels.

This is not the first time this summer that flooding has been an issue in Sin City. A few weeks ago, a similar event took place along the Strip, flooding casinos and triggering multiple instances of water damage.

While there were no reported injuries due to the flooding, social media postings showed vehicles trying to drive through the water. Authorities warned people of the danger of trying to traverse flooded roadways.

The storms also brought numerous lightning strikes. A tree caught fire in North Las Vegas at the hands of one of the strikes.

Winds were another issue with this line of storms. Gusts at the airport measured 55 mph. A wind gust of 64 mph was recorded at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders. Power was knocked out to over 10,000 customers in the Las Vegas area because of the high winds.

The storms triggered a number of flash flood warnings throughout a large region. Las Vegas was not the only area hit with heavy rain. The Moenkopi Wash located near Tuba City, Arizona reached major flood stage as a result of the persistent rain on Thursday.

Looking at the Weekend Forecast

The weekend is forecast to bring another round of heavy rain and potential severe storms throughout the Desert Southwest. While Las Vegas is forecast to remain relatively dry, areas such as Flagstaff, Arizona will be under the gun for severe storms and flooding rainfall. The city in northern Arizona is forecast to see locally heavy rainfall throughout the weekend with highs in the mid-70s.

It will be hot and mostly dry for Phoenix. While you cannot rule out a stray storm in the afternoon hours, the Valley of the Sun will be under partly cloudy skies with highs just above the century mark. It will be a similar weather story for the desert of California, including the popular resort town of Palm Springs.

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