Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Flooding does significant damage to homes on Mount Charleston

Rainbow Subdivision Hit Hard By Flooding

Steve Marcus

Resident Lynn Thomas looks in a window of a neighbor’s home in the Rainbow Subdivision on Mt. Charleston Monday, July 28, 2014. The home suffered major damage from flood water and debris. The neighborhood was hit hard by flooding and debris in runoff last year as well.

Updated Monday, July 28, 2014 | 6:38 p.m.

Rainbow Subdivision Hit Hard By Flooding

Resident Joyce Luman looks inside a neighbor's home in the Rainbow Subdivision on Mt. Charleston Monday, July 28, 2014. The homeowners were still repairing the home from last year's storm, neighbors said. Launch slideshow »

Eight homes in the Rainbow Canyon area of Mount Charleston sustained significant damage from flooding today, according to the Clark County Regional Flood Control District.

Rainbow Canyon Boulevard became “a river” as a result of storms on the mountain, agency spokeswoman Erin Neff said.

The road is washed out and impassable because of water and mud flow, Clark County spokeswoman Stacey Welling said. The road and utility lines have been damaged, and the Department of Public Works is assessing what repairs need to be made to establish at least partial access to the subdivision, she said.

As a precautionary measure, the Las Vegas Valley Water District is advising residents to boil their water before drinking it.

The notice applies to 112 customers living in the lower portion of the Rainbow Canyon subdivision between Moritz Way and Rainbow Canyon Boulevard, spokesman Bronson Mack said.

Those living in the upper portion of Rainbow Canyon — as well as those living in Cathedral Rock, Old Town and Echo — are not affected.

Because of impassable roads, some water bottles are being provided for affected residents, Mack said.

Neff said parts of the valley east of U.S. 95 near Grand Teton Drive may see some flooding as water makes its way down the mountain.

A thunderstorm moving through the county about 6 p.m. prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning for central Clark County, including Boulder City, until 8:30 p.m.

The storm caused flash flooding near Willow Beach in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which is 16 miles southeast of Boulder City. It was moving northeast at 15 mph, the weather service said.

Earlier today, heavy flooding forced the closure of State Route 157 at the intersection with State Route 158 on Mount Charleston, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.

Only emergency vehicles were allowed past that point, Trooper Loy Hixson said. Rain caused heavy runoff that washed debris onto the road, Hixson said.

Thunderstorms dumped as much as a half inch of rain in parts of the Las Vegas Valley on Sunday, and the National Weather Service today issued a flood watch for the area.

Today’s flood watch is in effect from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.

The weather service said there’s a 50 percent chance of rain and warned on its Facebook page of potentially heavy downpours. It said to watch out for flooded roads, debris and mud on roads, rapid flows in washes and water in low-lying areas.

The southwest valley received the brunt of Sunday’s storms, with some areas recording 0.51 inches of rainfall. The west valley saw up to 0.20 inches of rain, while the northeast valley remained largely dry.

The storms caused traffic difficulties in Jean. State Route 161 was closed at one point because of flooding.

No major damage or road closures were reported in Las Vegas as of Monday morning, weather service meteorologist Todd Lericos said.

Check this map for more information about rainfall totals in the valley.

Sun reporter Adwoa Fosu contributed to this report.

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