Long arm of Lorena: Tropical storm drops rain on valley

Nearly an inch of rain fell Friday afternoon in the northwest Las Vegas Valley courtesy of the long reach of Tropical Storm Lorena near Baja, Calif., but heavier stuff is expected on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

It’s the latest drenching in a series of wet weekends that’s resulted in flooding and muddied roadways for valley residents, especially in the northwest. For residents of Trout Canyon, about 60 miles west of Las Vegas, the recent flooding washed away repairs to their wildfire-damaged water system.

The spate of wet weather prompted local officials to expedite plans for construction of two flood channels in the northwest. One will run along Grand Teton Drive from Hualapai Way to Tee Pee Lane, and a second 1.8-mile channel will run along Grand Teton Drive from Durango Drive to Rainbow Boulevard. They’re expected to be completed sometime in 2015.

The burn area of the Carpenter 1 Fire, which prompted evacuations in parts of Mount Charleston in July, was expected to see nearly a half-inch of rain Friday, but no major flooding had been reported by early evening, according to the National Weather Service.

Gusty winds of up to 30-45 mph are expected to accompany the new storms hitting the valley.

Much of that moisture is due to Tropical Storm Lorena, which made landfall in Cabo San Lucas Friday.

“Usually from these tropical storms, Las Vegas is going to get hit with heavy, heavy rain,” said Dan Berc of the National Weather Service in Las Vegas. “But we’re not going to be get the heavy wind.”

Temperatures through next week are supposed to rise to the mid-90s and fall to the low 70s, according to the 10-day forecast from the National Weather Service.

According to weather service meteorologist Reid Wolcott, the thunderstorm that rolled into the area Friday hit the western side of Summerlin, then moved northeast toward Lone Mountain before dissipating.

A flash flood warning issued prior to Friday’s thunderstorm was canceled, he said.

“It came in a really big hurry,” said Wolcott of the Friday storm. “Instead of being spread out over an hour, we’re talking about a matter of fifteen minutes.”

As for the ominous looking clouds that hovered over Las Vegas for most of the day, Wolcott said that they were merely remnants of the major thunderstorm that occurred over the northwest valley.

“They’re called ‘blow-offs,’” he said. “They’re a sign of the decaying storm.”

Contact reporter Tom Ragan at tragan@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512.