Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Second Pacific storm blast might be kinder to the Las Vegas area

Mesa

AP Photo/Matt York

Residents take free sandbags to protect their homes, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014 in Mesa, Ariz. Phoenix area residents are filling sandbags in anticipation of the remnants of Category 3 Hurricane Odille which decimated Mexico’s Baja California. Odille’s remnants are expected to hit Arizona in the coming days.

Updated Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014 | 12:15 a.m.

I-15 Repair After Flood Damage

A speed limit sign is shown by the side of Interstate 15 near Moapa Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014. About 1 mile of freeway was severely damaged by runoff from Monday's storm. The Nevada Department of Transportation expects to have two lanes open by the weekend, a spokesman said. 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 »

Although showers began to be felt in the Las Vegas Valley late Tuesday, forecasters expect this week's storm system to pack less of a punch than the one that battered parts of Clark County last week.

A flash flood watch remains in effect for the county from 11 a.m. today to 11 p.m. Thursday.

Dark clouds could be seen Tuesday afternoon over some parts of the valley, and the National Weather Service said that dime-sized hail was reported on Mount Charleston earlier Tuesday and heavy rain was falling on Kyle Canyon Road. There was no reported flooding on the mountain.

Brief showers were reported in southeast Henderson late Tuesday, the only valley location to receive precipitation as of 12:15 this morning, according to the weather service.

The valley also experienced strong winds Tuesday evening, with the weather service recording 35 to 45 miles per hour. The eastern parts of the valley experienced particularly strong winds due to their proximity to the storms in northwestern Arizona.

"Moisture from this system won't be the same (for Las Vegas) as that seen in the last system," weather service meteorologist Stan Czyzyk said. He added that the 40 percent chance of rain predicted for Southern Nevada for today and Thursday will likely drop by 10 points as the remnants of Tropical Storm Odile focus on Arizona and head east.

The forecast called for Tucson to get slammed with up to 5 inches, while Phoenix was expected to get soaked but with lesser amounts.

Residents around Arizona flocked to fire stations and other locations to get sandbags to place them around their homes as protection against floodwaters. Many experienced flooding last week after the remnants of Hurricane Norbert swamped parts of Phoenix and Tucson.

"It flooded my whole property, my horse pens, and my garage was under about 2 feet of water," said Roger Fuller, 72, who spent Tuesday morning loading up about 60 sandbags in Phoenix. "This time around, we're trying to keep the water off the property. Hopefully, it will work."

At the Arizona Department of Transportation's Traffic Operations Center, agency spokesman Doug Nintzel and other workers looked over a bank of monitors that showed traffic statewide and the track of the storm as it moved from Mexico into the U.S.

"It is unusual for us," he said. "We would be expecting to start getting into the drier fall season here in the area, so you never know with Mother Nature, and we've just said all hands on deck. You need to prepare for this type of thing, and we're doing the best we can trying to keep our system as operational as possible."

Weather and climate experts said it's rare to have back-to-back weather events like this in Arizona, and they attributed it to an especially active hurricane season in the Pacific.

The Eastern Pacific hurricane season is 50 percent more active than usual, while the Atlantic is 50 percent less active. The result has been fierce storms striking Mexico in recent weeks, while the Atlantic had its first major hurricane — Edouard — form just this week.

Last week, the remnants of Hurricane Norbert caused deadly flash flooding in Arizona. The single-day rainfall totals in Phoenix eclipsed the average total precipitation for the entire summer. Freeways became submerged after pumping stations could not keep up with the downpour, and sections of Interstates 10 and 17 were closed most of the day.

Despite the heavy rains, it still might not be enough to pull Arizona out of its drought.

Rain alone will not help refill reservoirs on the Colorado River. The current drought is drawing down Colorado River storage — in Lake Mead and Lake Powell in particular — to dangerous levels, said Jonathan Overpeck of the Institute of the Environment at the University of Arizona. The snowmelt from snowpack is what fills reservoirs that supply drinking water. So the upcoming winter, not hurricane season, is a crucial weather period.

Meteorologist Todd Lericos said it's unclear how quickly the moisture will move out of Clark County, though clear skies are expected for the weekend as drier air moves in.

"The next 24 hours will really tell us what will happen Thursday," Lericos said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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