Less than 24 hours after flooding several areas of Las Vegas, including the famed Strip, the Sin City braced for more rain Saturday.
“We are lucky because we live high up. But the entire yard is flooded. I was walking on the street earlier and it was pretty impressive,” says Simon Robert, a Quebecer who settled in Las Vegas two years ago.
In total, almost 2.2 cm of water fell on the capital Vice, three times the monthly average for September, causing several flash floods.
According to the New York Post, streets in several areas of Las Vegas quickly turned into rivers, preventing vehicles from traveling there. At least one driver had to be removed from his car, while others were forced to abandon their cars under the viaducts.
However, the city has reported no reports of rescues or major incidents.
Flash flood warnings were in effect Friday evening for parts of Clark County, which includes Las Vegas and other counties in Nevada, California and Arizona. In addition to heavy rain, dangerous lightning and squalls are expected, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
A rare phenomenon
The monsoon season in Las Vegas typically begins in June and ends in mid-September. During this time, the Earth warms and moist air moves over land from the Pacific Ocean, creating moisture.
The moisture record for the month of September, set 11 years ago, was broken on Friday, according to the NWS. However, summer 2022 remains the wettest monsoon season of the last decade, reports The New York Times.
“On average, it rains about seven days a year in Vegas. The monsoon season is once a year. But floods like this don’t normally happen,” says Simon Robert.