Storms, high winds run through Las Vegas Valley Friday night, early Saturday morning

Once again, thunder storms along with severe winds threatened the Las Vegas Valley late Friday night and early Saturday morning.

The weather service issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 8:26 p.m. Friday and the warnings continued into the evening.

At 10:25 p.m. Friday, the National Weather Service had three severe warnings out and named damaging winds as the main threat,

Thursday and Friday’s rain marks the start of monsoon season in Las Vegas, weather service meteorologist Chris Outler said.

“Monsoon is a season, not a storm,” Outler said.

Monsoon season is marked by a shift in winds that brings in moist air and leads to thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. Winds in the valley usually move to the west, but during monsoon season the winds shift eastward. Thunderstorms and storm systems form when that humid air hits the desert heat.

This year’s monsoon season is a week ahead of schedule. The season usually begins around July 4 and lasts through September. Seasons often shift rapidly from very dry, hot weather to high humidity and thunderstorms.

“Each season has its own personality,” Outler said.

Flood control channels and detention basins across the valley hold and redistribute large amounts of water during heavy rain. Water moving through Las Vegas washes can move up to 30 mph, according to Clark County’s Regional Flood Control District.

On Thursday, the district reported that water in Pittman Wash went from a trickle to 2½ feet in 20 minutes. During this rise, about 11,250 gallons of water passed by per second, the district estimates. The Pittman Wash was 5 feet deep 15 minutes later; 37,500 gallons flowed through every second.

The 80-foot-wide Duck Creek wash at Broadbent Boulevard rose from zero to 3 feet of water in less than 10 minutes.

On Friday morning, firefighters found a woman’s body beneath debris in a wash near Mandalay Bay Road and Giles Street. The coroner has not yet identified the woman or determined her cause of death, but the Regional Flood District released a statement calling her death “a deadly reminder” of the dangers that come with flash flooding.

Thirty-two people have died in flood-related incidents in Clark County since 1960. The last recorded death was in 2012.

After Friday’s lingering thunderstorms, the weekend is expected to warm up again as dry weather moves in. Saturday’s forecast high is 101, leading into a 104 high for Sunday.

The Fourth of July will be hot and sunny, with an expected high of 107 degrees.

The weather service is forecasting above-average highs for next week. Temperatures won’t be as high above daily averages as they were during the valley’s record-breaking June.

Review-Journal reporter Christian Bertolaccini contributed to this story. Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find @MaxMichor on Twitter.