What to expect with this summer’s flash flood season in Las Vegas Valley
After record-breaking May rains, forecasts for the summer flash flood season, which starts next week, are “typical,” officials said Tuesday.
That means there’s roughly equal chances for rain to be more severe, less severe or equal to previous monsoons, said Chris Outler, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Las Vegas.
“That’s pretty typical,” Outler explained. “I would say the monsoon is difficult to anticipate really ahead of time, unlike our winter seasonal forecasts.”
At a news conference near the Jim McGaughey Detention Basin, officials discussed flood safety and preventative measures, and Outler highlighted two groups particularly at risk during floods: homeless people and teenagers.
“Teens especially; they’re playing with their friends throughout the parks,” he said. “Some of these parks are literally designed in flood basins. And so, when flood water strikes, sometimes very, very quickly, it can sweep people away.”
At least two people have already been caught in floods in the Las Vegas Valley this year. One person successfully escaped a flood near Caliche Way on June 5, the Clark County Regional Flood Control District said.
Another man was swept into a Henderson wash last month. His body was found after an extensive search.
The Clark County coroner’s office identified him as 52-year-old Kevinn Oliver on Tuesday. His primary cause of death was drowning, and secondary causes included blunt trauma and methamphetamine use, the coroner’s office said.
Detention basins store water during floods, reducing the impact to surrounding communities.
The Jim McGaughey Detention Basin, slated to finish construction later this year, is named after former Nevada assemblyman Jim McGaughey, who is “one of the founding fathers of the Clark County Regional Flood Control District,” according to its website. The basin has a storage volume of 71.1 acre-feet.
“Unfortunately, this year, we’ve already had two people that were swept away as part of floods in our basins,” Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones said. “Do not go into flood control basins and washes. Because, as much as we’d like to think that it’s sunny all the time, that 1 percent of the time when it isn’t sunny out, is the most dangerous in our flood control system.”
These floods came about during an “unusually active” spring, Outler said. In May, parts of the valley had significant flash floods and even hail.
“We had heavy rain and thunderstorms in early May, which brought a record-breaking 1.44 inches of rain in the Las Vegas Valley,” he added. “That actually made it the wettest May on record by a pretty large margin.”
As for homeless people, Outler said they’re especially vulnerable while seeking shelter in drainage basins and tunnels. He added any vulnerable groups should keep an eye on social media and television channels for flood warnings and then leave affected areas.
“If you don’t have access to those channels, keep an eye to the sky,” Outler said. “If you see those cloud buildups starting to form, that’s probably the best indication you have that there might be some rain in the area, and to be prepared to seek shelter.”
Contact Finnegan Belleau at fbelleau@reviewjournal.com.
