Lightning, thunder, rain rattle LV Valley

Sito Negron

Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2003 | 11:02 a.m.

More than 700 lightning strikes hit the Las Vegas Valley area in a two-hour period Monday night, accompanying a rainstorm that contributed to several highway accidents, including one that closed U.S. 95 until about 7 a.m. today.

The storm dumped about half an inch of rain at McCarran International Airport and more in other parts of the valley. Authorities said there were no serious flooding or storm-related incidents.

The closure of U.S. 95 started about 2 a.m. when a tractor-trailer truck hydroplaned and crashed between Eastern Avenue and Charleston Boulevard. No one was injured in the accident, although the driver was cited for failure to maintain his lanes, said Trooper Angie Wolff, spokeswoman for Nevada Highway Patrol.

She said the truck leaked 100 gallons of diesel fuel, which made a slick mess on the highway when it mixed with the falling rain.

"Once you mix diesel with water, it's like the Ice Capades," she said.

She said there were five other accidents reported in the 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. time frame, but none that led to injuries or road closures.

The lightning and rain could return today, as much of the region -- particularly Pahrump and the Lone Mountain area -- is blanketed by seasonal storms.

The official measurement at McCarran for Monday's rains was 0.52 inches, bringing the year's total to 5.29 inches as of this morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Parts of Las Vegas got nothing, while the largest volume recorded was 0.87 inches at Warm Springs Road and Jones Boulevard in southwest Las Vegas, where the rain fell in about 25 minutes.

The Clark County Flood Control District did not report any problems anywhere, spokeswoman Betty Hollister said. She said the Tropicana detention basin collected 10 feet of water, well within its parameters. She said the basin is 38 feet deep and can hold 268 million gallons of water.

She said she noticed one major effect of the storm, one that most of the valley likely heard -- "Lots of thunder and lightning. It woke me up around 1:30."

There were minor reports of problems throughout the area.

Nevada Power reported multiple power failures, the largest of which was about 900 homes from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. in the area around Sunset Road and Boulder Highway area.

Edgar Patino, with Nevada Power media relations, said

"It's typical for there to be small interruptions whenever heavy lightning like last night hits the valley," said Edgar Patino, a Nevada Power spokesman.

Henderson spokeswoman Cindy Herman said there were minor affects, from a water pumping stations that lost power to a lost traffic signal at Lake Mead and Water Street.

She said a portable generator kicked in at the water pump station near Anthem, so nobody lost service.

"I've lived here all my life and that was one of the worst lightning storms I can recall," she said.

Wolff said a desk sergeant drove through a deluge as he responded to the scene of the tractor-trailer accident.

"He said when he left the office he thought (the lightning) would hit his car, it was so overwhelming," she said.