A woman runs through the rain on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023.
Published Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023 | 10:24 a.m.
Updated Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023 | 5:46 p.m.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has mobilized and is ready to respond quickly in Nevada, if needed following Hurricane Hilary, administrator Deanna Criswell said during a White House conference call Saturday afternoon.
“We stand ready to support and provide resources as needed,” Criswell said.
Criswell said she’s been in contact with Gov. Joe Lombardo of Nevada and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California.
“I always like to reach out to the governors to open that communication,” Criswell said.
She said staff and federal assistance teams have been deployed to the area. Communications equipment and logistics resources have also been set up.
In a news release issued late Saturday afternoon, Lombardo urges "all Nevadans to take this threat seriously, to prepare for severe weather, and to follow the guidance of emergency officials.”
Clark County officials urged residents and visitors to be safe via a statement released earlier in the day.
“It’s important that our residents and visitors are aware of the serious dangers posed by flash-flooding as a result of the storm surge that is expected to occur this weekend in our region,” said Clark County Commission Chairman Jim Gibson. “We advise the public to please take heed of the warnings to not to drive through flooded roads or around barricades and to stay home from recreational areas like Red Rock, Lake Mead and Mount Charleston where roads and trails could wash out with little notice.”
The governor's statement came after the storm was downgraded to a Category 2, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted Hilary will bring “catastrophic” flooding for Mexico's Baja California Peninsula and for the southwestern United States, where it was forecast to cross the border as a tropical storm on Sunday. Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency on Saturday, and officials urged people to finish their preparations by sundown.
“This does not lessen the threat, especially the flood threat,” said Jamie Rhome, the U.S. National Hurricane Center’s deputy director, during a briefing to announce the storm’s downgraded status. “Don’t let the weakening trend and the intensity lower your guard.”
The forecast continues to project heavy rain late Sunday and early Monday for Clark County, according to Morgan Stessman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Las Vegas.
Forecasters said the storm could bring heavy rainfall to the southwestern United States, dumping 3 to 6 inches in places, with isolated amounts of up to 10 inches in portions of Southern California and Southern Nevada. According to the weather service's website, the most rain to fall in a 24-hour period in Las Vegas is 2.59 inches on Aug. 20-21, 1957.
"A big thing, the concrete washes around the valley," Stessman said Saturday. "Those can become deadly very quickly once we start seeing heavy rain."
She said the city is designed to direct water into the washes.
Several roads in the region will see flowing water and require closure and heavy rains could cause rapid onset of flash flooding or exacerbate ongoing flooding, the weather service said, noting that Spring Mountains and Sheep Range will likely see flooding of roadways and could see rockslides or mudslides.
The Weather Service also warns about significant flash flooding that could be seen specifically in the York Fire region. Previously dry washes could fill with water quickly, it said.
A brief rainstorm rolled through the area Friday night, causing damage at Lake Las Vegas Boat Harbor, some flooding of roads and power outages. Rain could stretch into the middle of next week.
“We are not expecting this to be a constant rainfall but rather several rounds of moderate (to) heavy rainfall,” Stessman said Saturday.
At the storm’s peak – expected Sunday night and early Monday – there will be limited time between rounds of the storms. Stessman said there won’t be much time for the ground to dry out, which will compound flash flooding dangers.
A flash flood watch is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Saturday and remain until Monday afternoon for Clark County.
The area has a very low risk of seeing other storm-related dangers. This includes a 5% to 14% chance of seeing tropical-force winds up to 75 mph and 2% to 4% chance of tornadoes.
Lombardo activated 100 National Guard troops to Southern Nevada on Friday night.
“These Guardsmen will be put in place to provide support to southern counties, which may be significantly impacted by flooding,” he said in a news release. “As the state takes the necessary steps to prepare for flooding and severe weather, I strongly urge all Nevadans to do the same. By making a plan ahead of time, Nevadans can ensure that their families and loved ones remain safe amidst Hurricane Hilary.”
Nevada National Guard Capt. Emerson Marcus said Saturday that troops with high mobility vehicles able to navigate through flooding have been mobilized. He said the troops will be able to transport food, water and supplies to disaster areas, if needed. The vehicles also can be used to move people and belongings out of flooded areas.
Hilary's path
Hilary on Friday had rapidly strengthened, becoming an exceedingly dangerous Category 4 hurricane for a time with top sustained winds of 145 mph at its peak. Its maximum sustained winds dropped to 115 mph on Saturday as a Category 3 storm, before further weakening to 100 mph — making it a Category 2.
By late Saturday afternoon Saturday, it was still 600 miles south-southeast of San Diego, California. Moving north-northwest at 17 mph, the storm was expected to turn more toward the north and pick up speed.
Forecasters said the storm was swirling off one of the westernmost spurs on Mexico’s southern Baja peninsula. Loreto, along the peninsula's eastern coast, recorded wind gusts up to 58 mph on Saturday. The hurricane was expected to brush past Punta Eugenia on that coast before making a nighttime landfall along a sparsely populated area of the peninsula about 200 miles south of the Pacific port city of Ensenada.
Hilary is likely then to rake northward all the way up the peninsula and into Tijuana, before heading to the U.S. in its historic path.
The U.S. National Park Service closed California's Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve to keep visitors from becoming stranded amid flooding.
No tropical storm has hit Southern California since 1939.
Radar down
The radar used by the weather service in Las Vegas went down about 7:30 p.m. Friday, Stessman said Saturday. She said lightning is the suspected cause.
“We are currently using neighboring radar,” Stessman said “Without that one we don’t have as good of coverage for Southern Nevada. We can’t see more of the lower levels.”
The neighboring radars are located in Cedar City, Utah and Edwards Air Force Base in California's Kern County.
Stessman said technicians are on their way to examine the radar located in the Eldorado Mountains and see if it is fixable before storms roll in Saturday afternoon.
“In the past we have had radars go down and we have been able to make do without them,” Stessman said.
She said ground gauges, storm spotters and reports from the public can be uses to assess the storm.
Sandbags
The city of Las Vegas is giving away free sandbags and sand in Summerlin at 2950 Ronemus Drive and on the east side of the city at 3128 East Bonanza Road. Residents are asked to bring a shovel.
“Sandbags can help divert water if your yard is prone to flooding,” the post states.
The city of Henderson provided free sandbags Saturday morning but ran out by noon. It will update the public via social media and its website if the city is able to secure additional supplies
Residents in Clark County can look up the flood risk to their home by visiting the county’s special flood hazard area map.
Nevada Energy
About 4,000 Nevada Energy customers were without power at the peak of a storm that passed through the Las Vegas Valley Friday night. A majority of the customers had power restored within a couple of hours, according to an outage map.
The company said Friday that they are carefully monitoring the storm and have crews prepared and on stand-by to respond quickly to outages.
Customers can prepare for the storm by securing backup power supplies for those who depend on electrically-operated medical equipment, the companies website states.
Alternative plans should also be made for medicine that requires refrigeration.
If power goes out in one portion of the home, resetting breakers or replacing a fuse can restore power, the site says. An electrician may be needed if the problem persists.
Customers are also encouraged to sign up for outage alerts through their online Nevada Energy account.
Red Cross preparing
The American Red Cross of Nevada is preparing in case shelters must be opened at some point during or after the storm, Keith Paul, regional communications director, said Saturday.
He said this includes stationing trailers in strategic locations, such as Pahrump.
“It is filled with all the items we need to open a shelter,” Paul said.
Paul said having the trailer in place will help staff avoid transportation issues such as flooded or damaged roads after the storm.
Red Cross shelters open at the request of local government officials, Paul said.
He said staff and volunteers have been placed on standby if a request is made within Southern Nevada.
Paul encouraged residents to read over emergency preparedness tips at redcross.org and to download the Red Cross app for alerts about local weather and shelter information.
Lake Mead affected
Lake Mead National Recreation Area will be closed as of 5 p.m. Saturday and is expected to remain in effect through at least Monday.
The closure, a press release said, applies to park visitors, government employees, concession employees, park residents and stakeholders. Exceptions will be made for local, state or federal government employees engaged in official duties.
The park experienced multiple power and utility outages prior to the arrival of Hurricane Hilary. Due to a storm Friday night, one marina experienced extensive damage, including multiple dock separations, power outages and fuel outages.
The park says updates will be available on the park's social media sites and on its current conditions web page.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
