Monsoon storms mostly avoiding Las Vegas Valley
Monsoon storms tried to push into the Las Vegas Valley on Thursday, without much luck.
Most of the valley stayed dry but in the afternoon, a flash flood warning was issued for southwestern Clark County.
The National Weather Service said “radar indicated showers and thunderstorms in the vicinity of Goodsprings. Between 1 and 1.5 inches of rain have fallen.”
Hurricane effects?
Tropical Storm Lorena is brewing about 1,000 miles south of Las Vegas. But don’t expect another Hilary.
“It’s not going to have much influence (on Las Vegas),” Matt Woods of the National Weather Service said Wednesday night. “It’s staying south and will affect southern Arizona.”
Lorena may dump 15 inches of rain on parts of Baja California and northwestern Mexico, the Associated Press reported.
In Arizona and New Mexico, heavy rainfall up to 4 inches was possible and could potentially lead to isolated flash flooding into Saturday.
In August 2023, the remnants from Hurricane Hilary wreaked havoc on parts of the valley and surrounding mountains. It forced the closure of Earl B. Lundy Elementary School on Mount Charleston, which recently reopened.
Very dry monsoon season
The last time Harry Reid International Airport saw measurable rain was July 3, at the beginning of monsoon season, when it recorded .02 inches.
So far, this is the fourth-driest monsoon season on record, said Chris Outler of the weather service. The Las Vegas monsoon season runs from July 1 to Sept. 30.
The driest years are 2020 and 1944 (tied with a trace) and 2010 (0.01).
So far in 2025, the airport has seen 2.05 inches of rain (average is 2.27). A normal rainfall year in Las Vegas is 4.18 inches.
4-day forecast
Thursday: high of 98 degrees with light southerly winds. There’s a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms, with evening showers also a possibility.
Friday: 96 degrees, with a 20 percent chance of afternoon showers.
Saturday: 97 degrees, with a 10 percent of rain in the late afternoon.
Sunday: high in the mid-90s. No showers are expected.
2025 rain events
July 18: A few monsoon storms soaked parts of the valley.
July 2: 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.
March 17: Strong winds and a few showers swept through the valley on St. Patrick’s Day.
March 5: A Pacific storm brought light rain to parts of the valley. The nearby mountains saw snow.
— Digital news editor Mark Davis contributed to this report.
Contact Kevin J. Barr at kbarr@reviewjournal.com.