Monday, August 15, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Storms briefly flood streets

Thunderstorms drenched parts of the Las Vegas Valley Sunday, dumping up to 1 1/2 inches of rain on parts of Henderson and briefly flooding some streets.

The precipitation registered a meager 0.04 inches at McCarran International Airport Sunday evening, and much of the Las Vegas Valley saw only sprinkles despite the threatening skies.

But the National Weather Service reported heavy rainfall in Henderson and Pahrump. The agency also reported more than 1.3 inches of rain for the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

More than 40 Henderson Fire Department personnel responded about 3:30 p.m. to a report of two girls, ages 13 and 14, being carried downstream in a wash near Pecos Road and Wigwam Parkway.

One girl was found clinging to a rock and was assisted out of the water by fire crew members. The other was carried more than a mile downstream and bystanders pulled her out. Both suffered hypothermia and numerous bumps and bruises and were taken to a local hospital for evaluation, Battalion Chief Tim Hartman said.

Hartman said he did not know how the girls ended up in the wash, which is near a residential area, but that it is possible that they were playing in it or simply got too close to the water.

Hartman said his agency fielded many calls Sunday afternoon about flooded streets, but those floodwaters quickly subsided. Henderson police reported having to temporarily close Serene Avenue near Eastern Avenue because of floodwaters.

The Pahrump Fire Department reported several roads were under 1 to 2 feet of water, making them impassable. Some areas received an inch or more of rain in less than 30 minutes, the Weather Service said.

National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Gorelow said the storms resulted from a low pressure front that swept in from Southern California.

The forecast for today in the valley calls for partly cloudy skies and a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms.