By Mary Manning

Published Wednesday, July 16, 2008 | 6:14 p.m.

Updated Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 | 10:15 a.m.

(Originally posted at 1:13 p.m.)

If you think Las Vegas' weather has been interesting during the last five days, you and other weather watchers will like the coming attractions — stormy weather will continue to take center stage for at least another week.

Following up the thunderstorms that rumbled through the Las Vegas Valley this afternoon, dropping an inch of rain at Tropicana Avenue and Maryland Parkway, tonight's skies will remain cloudy with a chance of a shower or thunderstorm until 11 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

This afternoon's storm clouds swept across the valley between 1 and 3 p.m. today, creating a few isolated downpours.

A rain gauge in Blue Diamond, a rural community about 35 miles southwest of Las Vegas, received 0.39 of an inch of rain in half an hour, the Clark County Regional Flood Control District reported.

Arden, a railroad whistle stop about 20 miles southwest of Las Vegas, received two-thirds of an inch of rain in half an hour, the weather service said.

Kyle Canyon, a residential community near Mount Charleston, reported an inch of rain in an hour.

Today's showers did not cause major street flooding, although the weather service did issue a flood advisory for the Las Vegas Valley, since the clouds had the potential to produce heavy rains.

Weather service forecasters said a chance of isolated to scattered thunderstorms continues through Thursday before gradual drying and more heat appear for the weekend.

For Friday, Saturday and Sunday, weather watchers can expect blue skies and temperatures ranging from 104 degrees on Friday to 106 to 108 degrees on Saturday and Sunday.

Then tropical moisture expected to push into the valley from Northern Mexico could bring an encore to the showers and thunderstorms that fired up this week, the weather service said. Stay tuned.

Further complicating future weather patterns, a potential tropical storm in the eastern Pacific Ocean early next week could fuel the seasonal monsoon moisture already playing out in Southern Nevada. If that scene arrives on our stage, it could mean heavier rainfall early next week.