Heavy rains drench roads, delay flights in Las Vegas Valley
Heavy rains temporarily closed part of U.S. Highway 95, delayed flights at McCarran International Airport and prompted the National Weather Service to issue three flood alerts for Southern Nevada.
The flash flood warnings covered southwestern Clark County, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, and the Spring Mountains, Mount Charleston and Rainbow Canyon. All warnings have expired.
We have multiple cells of hard rain coming down intermittently today. As soon as one blows over, a new one comes in! Please don’t try hiking in this weather! pic.twitter.com/O59Ng7D5PP
— Go Mt. Charleston (@GoMtCharleston) July 12, 2018
Rain moved away from the Las Vegas Valley in the afternoon, the weather service said.
U.S. 95 was temporarily shut down at College Drive about noon because of flooding, according to Clark County officials. The city of Henderson reported 2 to 3 feet of water on the highway. According to a Nevada Department of Transportation tweet, the highway re-opened just after 3:20 p.m.
NSC Transportation Notification: Wagon Wheel Rd. on-ramp to I-515 and associated frontage roads are currently flooded due to heavy rains in the Henderson area. Please avoid the area and do not attempt to drive through flooded waters. pic.twitter.com/WWD3WJy5Pn
— UNLV Police Services (@UNLVPD) July 12, 2018
Hannah of Henderson plays with her dog cooper at a flooded park off Wagon Wheel Drive in Henderson. @reviewjournal #flashflood pic.twitter.com/Ogedf7nsZN
— Erik Verduzco (@Erik_Verduzco) July 12, 2018
The weather service said that Henderson got three-fourths of an inch of rain near Mission Hills. Areas along the western and northwestern edges of the valley got between a half-inch and three-fourths of an inch. Mount Charleston saw up to an inch of rain near Rainbow Canyon, the weather service said.
Temperatures will rise next week as the area dries out, the weather service said.
“We’re kinda trading the rain chances for heat,” meteorologist Ashley Wolf said.
Friday shows a forecast high of 100 with a 30 percent chance of showers in the valley, the weather service said. The chance of rain in the mountains is about 60 percent.
Saturday and Sunday both have highs of 103 degrees and likely will be dry, the weather service said.
Even though rain isn’t expected in the valley for Saturday and Sunday, Wolf advised residents continue to pay attention to weather forecasts.
“It’s that time of the year where things can change really quickly,” she said.
Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @brianarerick on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writers Blake Apgar and Mike Shoro contributed to this report.
