Christmas Eve storm soaks Las Vegas Valley; flooding hits Death Valley
The long Christmas weekend has arrived and so has the rain for the Las Vegas Valley.
A fire hose of tropical moisture from the Pacific Ocean is bringing widespread showers to Southern Nevada. Most of the valley saw considerable rain Christmas Eve, with one home in Centennial Hills reporting nearly an inch by 7 p.m.
But the skies will clear for Christmas Day, said Brian Planz of the National Weather Service. There’s a 30 percent chance of rain for Thursday as another wave of moisture will arrive in the region late in the day and will continue into the weekend.
There’s a 40 percent chance of rain for Friday; 30 percent for Saturday.
The nearby Spring Mountains should get some snow this weekend, between six and 10 inches forecast for areas above 7,000 feet, said Andy Gorelow of the NWS.
Death Valley flooding
Death Valley National Park was hit again by heavy rain and flooding on Wednesday, Gorelow said. Unofficially, the popular park in eastern California registered about half an inch of rain, causing flooding on roads. Planz said debris flows caused cars to be stuck in the mud.
Gorelow said Hunter Mountain, at 6,900 feet on the western fringe of Death Valley, saw five inches of rain. The park was affected by a flash flood warning Wednesday afternoon.
Last month, the park registered 1.76 inches of rain, breaking the record of 1.70 set in 1923. The rain caused the re-emergence of Lake Manly at Badwater Basin.
Death Valley has seen its fair share of record-breaking rainfall this decade. In August 2023 and August 2022, heavy rain and flooding caused the park to shut down.
Christmas weather facts
— The last time Las Vegas saw rain on Christmas Eve was 2021 (0.03 inches) and Christmas Day was 2018 (0.07).
— Since 1937, Las Vegas has only had measurable rain on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day five times, the agency said. The most recent event was in 2008.
— Only 10 of the last 87 Christmas Eves have had measurable rain. Only nine of the last 87 Christmas Days have had measurable rain.
— The hottest Christmas Eve happened in 2005 (70 degrees); the coldest happened in 1990 (14 degrees).
— The hottest Christmas Day happened in 1964 (69 degrees); the coldest was in 1948 (17 degrees).
— The wettest Christmas Eve occurred in 1959 (0.82 inches); the wettest Christmas Day took place in 1994 (0.66 inches).
— The normal Christmas Eve and Christmas Day high/low temperatures are 56/39 degrees.
Contact Mark Davis at mdavis@reviewjournal.com.
