On Thursday night, the entire Strip, home to some of the world’s most famous casinos and hotels, was flooded as the city issued a flash flood and severe storm warning. And it seems the city isn’t out of the woods yet. At least 16,000 people experienced power outages in the Las Vegas area Friday night, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Rain lashed the city from the afternoon into the evening, with a chance of gusty winds, lightning and even some hail over the weekend. Another severe thunderstorm warning was put in place for Las Vegas on Friday, which lasted until 11 p.m. The warning affected Las Vegas and the surrounding cities of Henderson, Mesquite and Boulder City. The rain is forecast to continue to fall from midday on Saturday with a brief break from the extreme weather before the rain resumes on Sunday afternoon, meaning there could be more flooding problems. Highs for Saturday are expected to be in the high 90s, which is below the average of 105 for this time of year – a trend that may continue into next week. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman took to Twitter on Friday to thank emergency services for their prompt response to the flooding. “Thank you to our first responders and regional flood control for the safety of residents and visitors,” he tweeted. “Las Vegas has beautiful weather, but we get big storms in the monsoon season. Knowing that, we have flood control infrastructure to quickly move water out of the city into Lake Mead.” Nevada Department of Transportation workers clear flood waters from West Washington Avenue near North Main St. on July 29, 2022, in Las Vegas. Steel Brooks/Las Vegas Review-Journal via APA driver checks his vehicle stuck in a construction hole after flooding along Charleston Blvd. on July 28, 2022, in Las Vegas. AP Thursday’s storm nearly equaled the total rainfall for the rest of the year. Social media videos showed lightning flashing in the sky above Sin City, cars left abandoned and partially submerged on the road, and water pouring into Caesars Palace from overhead lights. “While some of our Las Vegas properties sustained minor damage due to yesterday’s storm, all are operating as normal today,” Caesars Entertainment told The Post. “Repairs are already underway and we do not expect them to affect our guests’ experience.” During the storm, seven people were rescued from the water and one house caught fire, according to Las Vegas Fire & Rescue. 22 accidents and 15 exterior fires were also reported. Las Vegas resident Alexander Wolf told The Post he saw “curtains” of rainfall outside his window. “The lightning was almost constant and the power went out several times,” he told The Post. “The power outages knocked out fire alarms in several buildings, forcing firefighters to head into the storm to respond.”
