Heavy downpour causes chaos and prompts emergency response in Sin City

Las Vegas, Nevada, experienced a tumultuous weekend as residents grappled with the aftermath of two consecutive days of relentless heavy rainfall. The downpour resulted in widespread flooding on city streets, necessitated numerous water rescues, forced the closure of a section of Interstate 15 (I-15) to the south of the city, and tragically may have led to at least one fatality.

According to the National Weather Service, the region faced a marginal risk for excessive rainfall on Sunday, with drier conditions anticipated for the coming week.

Las Vegas Fire & Rescue reported a staggering 24 water rescues in the wake of the heavy rainfall. These rescue efforts included the retrieval of over 30 stranded vehicles and the successful extraction of approximately a dozen individuals trapped in standing or moving water.

In a tragic turn of events, on Saturday morning, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue recovered a body in the northwest part of the city. The individual was believed to have drowned after eyewitnesses reported seeing them swept away by swiftly moving water. Authorities have not yet released the cause of death or the identity of the deceased, as reported by KSNV.

Over the course of the past two days, specific areas in and around Las Vegas recorded more than 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rainfall, according to data from the Clark County Regional Flood Control District.

Remarkably, Las Vegas has already received 3.9 inches (9.9 centimeters) of rain in 2023, surpassing the normal annual precipitation by 1.2 inches (3 centimeters). The city is now merely 0.19 inches (0.48 centimeters) below its usual annual precipitation, as indicated by the weather service.

This incident follows another recent bout of rain from Tropical Storm Hilary, which drenched the Las Vegas Strip and prompted multiple water rescues last month.

Beyond inundating streets and sidewalks within Las Vegas, the torrential rainfall also forced the complete shutdown of all lanes on I-15 to the south of Jean. Fortunately, officials announced late Saturday night that all lanes on the freeway had been reopened.

While the immediate threat of heavy rainfall has subsided, a flood watch remains in effect through Monday morning for portions of eastern, north-central, northeast, and south-central Nevada, as advised by the weather service.