Heavy rain on its way to Las Vegas Valley
The pleasantly light rainfall Sunday afternoon throughout the Las Vegas Valley was only a precursor to the heavy rain that could fall overnight, according to the National Weather Service.
Las Vegas received barely any rain before 3 p.m., said meteorologist John Salmen. The one-tenth inch of rain that fell in most regions of the valley was just enough to get things wet.
A flash flood watch was in effect until 5 a.m today, but Salmen said as of early afternoon, they hadn’t heard about any flooding or serious rain.
San Bernardino and Mohave counties saw the heaviest rainfall.
“Skies are clearing now,” Salmen said at 3:15 p.m. “We’re just waiting for thunderstorms to roll in.”
The stormy system moved its way from Arizona up toward Nevada as the evening progressed but hadn’t yet reached the valley as of late evening.
“Don’t be fooled by the sunny sky,” the Las Vegas Fire Department tweeted. “The sunlight and heat will boil up some storm cells later, KEEP WATCH.”
The weather service forecast heavy, sometimes intense rainfall in the evening hours. Flooding definitely would be an issue in parts of the valley, Salmen said.
There was a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms for Sunday night, said meteorologist Chris Outler, and temperatures would stay about 12 degrees below normal. The low for Sunday night was forecast at 76 degrees.
A 30 percent chance of rain will persist going into today, Outler said, but the valley should dry out by this afternoon. Temperatures will heat back up to a high of 90 degrees, and the rest of the week will be back to normal with high temps in the 100s.
Mount Charleston also received fairly light rain — only about one-half inch between Saturday and Sunday afternoons, Salmen said. The temperature on the mountain hovered around 55 degrees Sunday evening, and a 70 percent chance of rain was forecast overnight.
“The weather could light up this evening,” Outler said, “but so far it’s been quiet on the peaks.”
Reporter Annalise Little contributed to this report. Contact Kimber Laux at klaux@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @lauxkimber.
