Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Will Hurricane Odile bring more flooding to Las Vegas?

Moapa Flooding

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Receding floodwater surrounds a home in Moapa, Monday, Sept. 8, 2014. Flooding throughout the area damaged homes and roads.

Moapa Flooding

A minivan is seen in floodwaters beneath Interstate 15 in Moapa, Nev., Monday, Sept. 8, 2014. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood emergency for the area. (AP Photo/John Locher) Launch slideshow »

Flooding in Phoenix

Cars are stuck in flood waters on I-10 east at 43rd Ave. after heavy storms pounded the Phoenix area early Monday, flooding major freeways, prompting several water rescues and setting an all-time single-day record for rainfall in the desert city. Launch slideshow »

Las Vegas will likely see storms this week from Hurricane Odile, but predicting the impact of the hurricane here is a complex task, meteorologists said.

Odile, now straddling Baja California near Cabo San Lucas, is expected to push a significant amount of moisture into the Southwest in the next few days.

Last week, Tropical Storm Norbert sparked torrential rain across Clark County, causing floods Monday that damaged hundreds of homes and washed away huge chunks of Interstate 15 near Moapa.

But Odile is more complicated to predict, National Weather Service meteorologist Reid Wolcott said.

For one, it’s difficult to tell where the hurricane will go. It was expected to follow the same track as Norbert off the west coast of Baja California​, but it veered right and toward the warm waters of the Gulf of California.

Then there’s what’s known as a gulf surge. The hurricane could trigger a nasty push of monsoon moisture that has historically been responsible for intense storm activity over Arizona and Southern Nevada.

On the other hand, a trough of low pressure air moving south is pushing the moisture away, decreasing the potential for storms.

“If you were going to pick three things that are difficult to forecast and mash them together, this is it,” Wolcott said.

​Las Vegas should expect storms, but the forecast for Odile is not as drastic as it was a few days ago, Wolcott said. Arizona — Phoenix saw record-breaking rainfall during Norbert — will likely be harder hit by Odile, he said.

There will probably be some storm activity in Southern Nevada, but it hard to tell exactly where. Right now, weather officials said, the rainfall is expected to be scattered and isolated.

“It’s all up in the air,” Wolcott said.

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