Published Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012 | 9:05 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012 | 10:20 a.m.
Weather conditions overnight wreaked havoc throughout the Las Vegas Valley, playing a role in several accidents on area roadways, causing a power outage, and possibly leading to a fire.
And more rain – potentially heavy in some areas – is in the forecast.
Motorists heading south on U.S. 95 are likely to run into added congestion this morning as authorities continue to work in the aftermath of several rain-induced accidents.
The Nevada Highway Patrol has closed portions of U.S. 95’s southbound lanes after several vehicles, including three tractor-trailers, were involved in weather-related collisions during a three-hour period ending about 6 a.m. on U.S. 95. The accidents took place near the Las Vegas Boulevard and Eastern Avenue exits, said Trooper Jeremie Elliott.
It was unknown how many vehicles were involved, but there were a few injuries, Elliott added.
The Nevada Highway Patrol has cleared the vehicles, and the closed lanes are expected to be open soon, although rainfall may delay that process, he said.
Lightning is among the possible causes of an early morning office building fire in the southern valley, according to Clark County spokeswoman Stacey Welling.
Firefighters responded at 3:21 a.m. to a report of smoke coming from an unoccupied office fire at the Eastern Canyon Plaza, near Wigwam Avenue and Eastern Avenue, Welling said. Firefighters extinguished a fire in the attic space of the commercial complex, but not before two air-conditioning units fell through the roof.
Sixty-nine personnel from the Clark County and Henderson fire departments responded to the incident, she said.
The fire was knocked down at 5 a.m. and left an estimated $500,000 in damages, Welling said.
The fire is still under investigation.
Weather also was suspected as the culprit in a power outage early Wednesday that affected about 1,000 customers in the area of Warm Springs Road and the Las Vegas Beltway, NV Energy said.
The outage, which lasted from 3:38 to 5:36 a.m., was likely caused by rainwater getting into an underground distribution line, company spokesman Mark Severts said. Crews repaired and reburied the cable.
And the wet weather is not yet finshed in the valley, with the forecast calling for a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms today and tonight throughout the Las Vegas Valley. The forecast prompted the National Weather Service to issue another flash flood watch in the region.
The watch is in effect until 11 p.m. and covers Southern Nevada, including the Las Vegas Valley.
A watch is issued when the National Weather Service is at least 50 percent confident storms will result in flash flooding, meteorologist Faith Borden said.
The service is predicting .16 inches of rainfall in Las Vegas over the next 12 hours. For the 24-hour period ending at 5 a.m., the National Weather Service measured .29 of an inch of rain at McCarran International Airport.
Drivers are warned to watch for rocks and mud that may wash onto roads. Unpaved secondary roads may wash out or become impassible.
CORRECTION: This version corrects the location of the accidents. | (August 1, 2012)
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