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Storms move away from Vegas; 1 tornado confirmed, another pending

Thunderstorms, tornadoes, rain, heavy clouds, and some flooding were felt across much of the ar ...
Thunderstorms, tornadoes, rain, heavy clouds, and some flooding were felt across much of the area northeast of Las Vegas on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022. The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touchdown near Littlefield, Arizona, and was working to check on another near Mesquite, Nevada. (RTS FastCam)
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By / Las Vegas Review-Journal
August 21, 2022 - 5:30 am
 
Updated August 21, 2022 - 8:45 pm

The heaviest of a line of storms has moved to the east of the Las Vegas Valley.

The National Weather Service tweeted that winds of up to 70 mph, pea-sized hail, heavy rain and lighting were forecast for North Las Vegas, Nellis Air Force Base, Henderson and Boulder City until 8:15 p.m.

Earlier, a thunderstorm warning was issued for eastern Clark County and western Mohave County until 7 p.m.

As of 6:55 p.m., two small storm cells were dropping rain on the Sheep Range while most of the heavier storm activity was over the Lake Mead area.

Earlier, two land spout tornadoes were caught on video near Littlefield, Arizona. At least one touched down about 4:47 p.m. No damage was reported.

A tornado warning was issued for northern Mohave County until 5:15 p.m.

The weather service said it had confirmed a tornado touchdown near Littlefield, Arizona, and was awaiting confirmation of a touchdown of one near Mesquite.

The weather service outlined an area that may see heavy winds on Sunday evening, including Las Vegas east to Lake Mead and into Arizona.

As of 5:25 p.m., radar showed the major storms appeared to be moving east toward Arizona and away from Las Vegas.

“Severe thunderstorms continue to move south,” the weather service warned. “Wind gusts up to 60 mph and quarter-sized hail are possible. Expect impacts on I-15 near Mesquite.”

Mesquite, Elgin, Carp and Bunkerville are likely to be affected if the storms continue to move south.

Storms over Lincoln County and near St. George, Utah, could pose threats to Las Vegas on Sunday evening, says forecasters.

As of 3:50 p.m., radar showed a small cell was approaching the Sheep Range from the north while four larger cells west of St. George over Lincoln County were headed south toward Las Vegas.

The weather service tweeted shortly before 3 p.m. that it was watching the storms.

“If these hold together, we could see impacts in eastern Clark County and the Las Vegas area this evening,” the tweet said. “Main concerns would be strong winds, heavy rain, and lightning.”

Higher elevations around Las Veags did receive some rain around noon with about a half-inch reported just east of Mount Charleston.

The Monday low is expected to be around 81 before rising to 102 with winds of 5-8 mph.

Lake Mead keeps on rising

A rare summer rise in the depth of Lake Mead has continued for nearly a month, thanks in part to heavy rainfall around the region.

The lake was at a depth of 1,043.26 feet (above sea level) at 1 p.m. Sunday, a rise of 2.55 feet from its low so far this year at 1040.71 feet on July 27.

Heavy rain Friday along the Virgin River watershed — including a reading of nearly 11 inches near Rockville, Utah, just south of Zion National Park — will result in much of the floodwaters making it into Lake Mead.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.

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