Las Vegas residents dry out after heavy rainfall and floods
Las Vegas residents on Sunday were drying out after two days of heavy rainfall that flooded streets, prompted various water rescues, shut down a portion of Interstate 15 south of the city and possibly resulted in at least one death.
The National Weather Service in Las Vegas issued a severe weather outlook for the region, warning of strong winds and hail as the storm activity leaves eastern Clark county.
The heavy rainfall over the past couple of days resulted in 24 water rescues, including more than 30 vehicles stranded in water and about a dozen people rescued from standing or moving water, according to Las Vegas Fire & Rescue.
On Saturday morning, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue found a body in northwest Las Vegas of an individual believed to have drowned after being reported by bystanders as having been swept away by moving water, KSNV reported. A cause of death and the name of person were not immediately released by authorities.
Over the last two days, some areas in and around Las Vegas got more than 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain, according to data from the Clark County Regional Flood Control District.
Las Vegas is up to 3.9 inches (9.9 centimeters) of rain for 2023, which is 1.2 inches (3 centimeters) above normal and only 0.19 inches (0.48 centimeters) below the city’s normal annual precipitation, according to the weather service.
The flooding prompted the American Red Cross of southern Nevada to mobilize its staff and volunteers to help residents. According to reports from KSNV, the Red Cross is coordinating with local fire departments and emergency management teams to provide aid.
The city had already been hit last month with rain from Tropical Storm Hilary that covered the Las Vegas Strip and prompted several water rescues.
Besides flooding streets and sidewalks in Las Vegas, the heavy rainfall has also closed down all lanes of I-15 south of Jean. But officials announced late Saturday night that all lanes on the freeway were once again open.
The heavy rains also prompted officials to cut off access to the Black Rock desert where the Burning Man festival was taking place. Attendees were ordered to conserve food, water and fuel as festival organizers said the roads remained “too wet and muddy” to reopen. A death that occurred at the festival is under investigation.
A flood watch remained in effect through Monday morning for portions of eastern, north central, northeast and south central Nevada, according to the weather service.