Las Vegas broke a 56-year-old daily rainfall record at Harry Reid International Airport on Monday after receiving 0.57 inches of rain. The previous record of .04 inches of rain was set in 1969.
Why It Matters
Las Vegas is known for its dry, desert climate. Heavy rain is not typical for May, as the city’s highest rainfall amounts typically occurs during the monsoon season from July to August or the winter months of January and February. The rain is expected to bring some short-term relief for drought impacts, given that the entirety of Clark County is suffering from severe drought, with nearly 88 percent of the county facing extreme drought and 24 percent facing exceptional drought, the worst drought category.
What to Know
So far this month, Las Vegas has seen .83 inches of rain. National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Stan Czyzyk told Newsweek typically, Las Vegas sees that much rain throughout the entire month of May, making it one of the top wettest starts to the month in the city’s history.
The May rainfall record was also set in 1969 at .96 inches. An average year typically only brings a little over 4 inches of rain to Las Vegas.
More rain could bump Las Vegas over the threshold for setting a new record for May rainfall. Las Vegas has a 34 percent chance of seeing more rainfall on Tuesday, NWS Las Vegas said in a forecast posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday morning.
“We’re not done yet – additional showers and storms are expected through tonight!” the post said. “If you’ll be outdoors, keep an eye to the sky and head indoors if you see lightning/hear thunder, and if driving, take it slow and remember to never drive through flooded areas!”
Rainfall on Monday caused some minor flooding in the valley, prompting a flood advisory on Monday evening, but there was no flash flooding threat.
Elsewhere in the nation, rainfall records also were broken following more than a week of heavy rain in Oklahoma and Texas. Flooding remained a threat across that region on Tuesday as rainfall continues.
What People Are Saying
Czyzyk told Newsweek: “There should be improvements in the short term [drought], but it won’t necessarily help with long term.”
NWS Las Vegas in a post on X around midnight local time on Tuesday: “A band of showers continues drifting southward across Clark and San Bernardino Counties tonight. This band is expected to dissipate in the next 1-2 hours, but locations could receive up to another tenth of an inch of rain.”
What Happens Next
Forecasts anticipate parts of Southern Nevada could see more rain than is usual for the next six to 10 days, according to the NWS Climate Prediction Center precipitation outlook. Some light rain could still fall on Tuesday.
The post Las Vegas Sees Record Rainfall appeared first on Newsweek.
