NWS: More rain on the horizon, could impact F1 race night

The thunderstorm that raced across the Las Vegas Valley Wednesday afternoon has largely moved out, but forecasters say the break in the wet weather may be brief.

Wednesday’s compact but intense cell brought brief heavy rain, pea-sized hail and lightning as it tracked the central valley moving north, according to the National Weather Service. By early evening, the storm was weakening and conditions were expected to stabilize.

“We’re mostly done,” said Matt Woods, a meteorologist with the Las Vegas NWS office. “Storm activity and thunderstorms are quieting down, so I think we’ll be dry for the rest of tonight and most of the day tomorrow.”

More rain arrives Thursday night and Friday

The next round of wet weather is predicted to reach the valley late Thursday, part of a broader more organized system, similar to the one that soaked Las Vegas Tuesday.

“It’ll be more like a broad, widespread area of rain,” Woods said. “There’s a little bit of lightning possible — about a 10% chance — but overall it should mostly be light rain and showers. Not really a thunderstorm setup, but more similar to Tuesday’s rain.”

Rainfall totals Friday morning are expected to fall between one-tenth and one-quarter inch, Woods said. By afternoon and evening, showers will become more scattered.

“Some places may not pick up much more, but others that get lucky could see another quarter inch on top of that,” he said.

Could Saturday’s Formula One schedule be affected?

Race-night conditions for the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix are still expected to be mostly dry, but forecasters say the chance for a stray shower cannot be completely ruled out.

“There is some potential for light rain on Saturday,” Woods said. “Chances are low, around 10%, but it depends on where the system sets up and how far south it pulls.”

A historically wet November

With Wednesday’s rain, Las Vegas is experiencing one of its wettest Novembers on record.

“Normal precipitation for November here is 0.3 inches,” Woods said. “What we’ve seen so far this month is 1.58 inches. We’re currently sitting at the fifth-wettest November.”

The wettest November ever recorded was in 1965, when the city saw 2.22 inches of rain.

Woods noted that winter is typically the wettest time of year in Las Vegas, with December through February “the most reliable for getting measurable rain.”

2025 rain events

Nov. 15: A storm brought the wettest Nov. 16 on record to Harry Reid International Airport.

Oct. 10: Remnants of Tropical Storm Priscilla drenched the valley, causing multiple event cancellations.

Sept. 18: The valley’s long dry streak ends, thanks to remnants from Tropical Storm Mario.

July 3: Some showers fell across the area but a strong dust storm caused widespread power outages in the east valley.

June 5: In a rare event for June, showers caused a few disruptions across the valley.

May 6: An “exceptionally rare” May storm shattered rain records.

Contact Kevin J. Barr at kbarr@reviewjournal.com.