Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Showers and thunderstorms roll through Las Vegas again

Overnight storms crackled and boomed through valley, bringing heavy rain and hail

Storms

Steve Marcus

Las Vegas, seen here as a target of lightning, has also been the target of many best-of and worst-of lists.

Updated Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010 | 1:50 p.m.

Storms

Lightning flashes over Strip casinos as a thunderstorm passes through the Las Vegas Valley on Tuesday. Launch slideshow »

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for extreme east-central Clark County and parts of Mohave County, Ariz., until 2:15 p.m.

The storm was about 40 miles east of Boulder City and the warning area included a small, rural portion of the county well east of Las Vegas. The storm was expected to bring the threat of heavy rain, lightning and small hail.

Earlier this afternoon, a thunderstorm moved through Henderson and the southern valley beginning about 1 p.m.

As of 9 a.m. — before the latest round of storms moved through this afternoon — Henderson Executive Airport had received 0.17 of an inch, McCarran International Airport reported 0.07 of an inch and North Las Vegas Airport had 0.14 of an inch.

"Some extra caution may be needed during the early morning commute as these storms rumble across the area," forecasters said.

A flood advisory was issued through 7:45 a.m. for central Clark and extreme west Mohave counties. A storm that produced between a quarter and a half inch of rain around Willow Beach and along the Temple Bar Access Road had moved west by 6:46 a.m., forecasters said. However, because of steep terrain around Willow Beach, runoff from the rain was expected to continue, they said.

Showers and scattered thunderstorms with some hail and heavy rain are in the forecast for today before tapering off tonight, the weather service said. The main threat will be hail, brief heavy rain, lightning and gusty winds, forecasters said. Minor flooding of normally dry washes, roadways and low-lying areas is possible, they said.

Plenty of moisture will hang around Thursday and Friday, continuing the chance of showers and thunderstorms for the region, forecasters said.

Thunderstorms lit up the sky over Las Vegas late Tuesday night bringing rainfall amounts that ranged from a few hundredths of an inch up to two-tenths of an inch, the weather service said.

McCarran International Airport recorded 0.11 of an inch, Henderson Executive Airport received .03 and North Las Vegas Airport and Nellis Air Force Base each reported a trace.

Some of the stronger storms produced hail ranging from pea size to half an inch in diameter on the south side of the valley, the weather service said. An off-duty weather service employee reported half-inch hail in the Seven Hills area of Henderson at 8:57 p.m.

At 1 p.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 68 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 55 degrees. The record low was 36 degrees, set in 1943 and 1937.

The cloud cover and moisture is expected to keep afternoon temperatures below normal, forecasters said.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 70 degrees by 6 p.m., to 65 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 61 degrees by midnight, forecasters said. Thursday's morning low will be 57 degrees and Thursday's high will climb to 75 degrees, they said.

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