Heavy rain soaks parts of Las Vegas; NLV police pull woman from water

Police helped rescue a woman from a flood channel in North Las Vegas on Friday as strong thunderstorms pounded parts of Southern Nevada on Thursday and Friday, dumping more than an inch of rain in some areas.

Officers pulled the woman from near Craig Ranch Regional Park with a long leash after she had been swept away in a swift-moving current. Video of the rescue, near Losee Road and Gowan Road, was posted to the department’s Facebook page Friday night.

“Quick thinking from these officers, undoubtedly prevented a tragic conclusion,” the post said. Additional information about the woman’s condition wasn’t immediately available, but she appeared to be talking in the video while she was pulled out of the water.

Chris Outler, a lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in Las Vegas, said as much as 1.5 inches of rain fell Friday afternoon near where the 215 Beltway and Interstate 11 converge in the northwest Las Vegas Valley.

On Thursday, heavy rains in Primm closed down Interstate 15 for a time because of flash flooding.

According to the weather service, more than 1 inch of rain fell in the Primm area in a 20-minute span before 5 p.m. on Thursday.

Outler said the types of storms that cause that much rain to fall in a short period of time can be common during Southern Nevada’s monsoon season.

“For the most part, yes, these are typical monsoon storms,” Outler said. “We expect it will dry out the next couple of days in the Las Vegas Valley. We could see some rain, but not the types of heavy downpours that happened Thursday and (Friday).”

In the Centennial Hills area Friday, one resident recorded 1.4 inches of rain in about an hour. A storm hit the area about 1:30 p.m.; an hour later, the skies were clear.

Radar indicated the storm hit parts of northern Summerlin, the Lone Mountain area and North Las Vegas as well.

High temperatures for Las Vegas are expected to stay just below 105 for Saturday and Sunday, according to the weather service, with some showers possible in the valley.

So far at Harry Reid International Airport, 2.05 inches of rain has been recorded in 2025, though no rain fell at the airport Friday. The yearly average there is 2.27. The average July rainfall at Reid is 0.38 inches.

The last time the airport saw measurable rain was May 6, Outler said.

Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.