“We’re getting right into the heart of the most active part,” said John Adair, a veteran meteorologist at the weather service office near Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. “This is turning out to be a fairly active monsoon season, compared to the last five years or so. There are many more opportunities for storms to develop.” The annual weather pattern has brought a parade of storms to the US Southwest in recent weeks that have led to flooding in normally dry washouts, inches of rain and rescue efforts. In Arizona, a driver had to be rescued from a vehicle caught in floodwaters in Apache Junction. A youth conservation crew abandoned the red truck they were riding in at Canyon de Chelly National Monument on the Navajo Nation when it got stuck in mud and water was rising around it. Mojave County Sheriff’s officials rescued a woman who was stuck at a stop sign earlier this week after her car was swept away. Parts of the Hualapai Mountains in Mohave County have received up to 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) of rain in recent days, Adair said. The National Weather Service said parts of Arizona can expect 1 (2.5 cm) to 2 (5 cm) inches of rain per hour before the flood watch ends Saturday morning. While the rain is welcome in a drought-stricken region, it creates headaches in neighborhoods where wildfires have stripped the land of vegetation, which usually slows and partially absorbs floodwaters. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Thursday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved a request to include the effects of flooding and mudslides in some counties hit by massive wildfires this year in the state’s disaster declaration. In northern Arizona, Flagstaff residents are used to constant cell phone alerts and neighborhood sirens warning of impending flooding. Bret Henneman estimates he has about 3,500 sandbags around his home north of Flagstaff, where two wildfires burned this spring. His wife was babysitting and had the back door open two weeks ago when it rained hard and sent several inches of rain and mud into the house. With every flood warning, they now cringe. “We still need the rains and all that and we really need the monsoons around here,” said Heneman, who is staying with his family while his home dries out. “It’s just that the fires have changed everything. So, yes, when it rains, we are afraid.” Parts of Arizona, including the cities of Heber, Show Low, Bellemont and Prescott, are near or above 200 percent of normal rainfall so far during the monsoon, which began June 15 and runs through September. However, the weather pattern is hit and miss, meaning some places like Payson are well below normal. “There’s not really a good explanation as to why this happens, but it’s part of the nature of storms,” said Valerie Meola, a meteorologist with the weather service in Flagstaff. Jacquetta Brown was walking on a trail in Canyon de Chelly near Chinle, Arizona, this week when heavy rain swept through and found the red truck partially submerged. The rain is a blessing for the crops the families plant in the canyon and the livestock, he said, but the monsoon also has a downside. “We have dirt roads here and when we can’t get through the wash, we can’t get to work and school,” Brown said. While only 0.3 inches (0.76 centimeters) of rain was recorded at the Las Vegas airport late Thursday, more than 2.5 centimeters fell just 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) away at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he said Adair. Nearby wind gusts peaked at 71 mph (114 km/h) and toppled trees. Pea-sized hail fell from lightning-struck skies in suburban Henderson, where nearly 1 inch (2.5 cm) of rain fell in some areas. Police, county and city officials and the weather service said no injuries or extensive damage were reported. Casino patrons posted videos of water pouring from the ceilings at Caesars Palace and Planet Hollywood resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, and behind a huge video projection at Circa’s downtown sports book. One video showed a man continuing to play a casino slot machine while water fell around him. “A night we’ll never forget,” Circa owner Derek Stevens said in a tweet. “The weather last night was a storm in Vegas and we were no exception,” Stevens said Friday. “But the show must go on and I’m pleased to share that repairs are underway.” Sports seats were expected to reopen over the weekend, he said. Rapid runoff from sunny lots flooded intersections, forcing vehicles to crawl through high water near Las Vegas Boulevard and Main Street. Flood control channels turned into torrential torrents. Scattered power outages were reported in places, including the Fremont Street Experience downtown casino boardwalk. Las Vegas firefighters responded to 330 calls for service and emergency water crews rescued seven people between 9 p.m. and midnight, city spokesman Jace Radke said. Clark County firefighters responded to six water rescue calls, county spokeswoman Stacey Welling said. Adair said the Las Vegas area typically receives about 4.2 inches (10.7 centimeters) of rain annually, but the official measuring station at the airport has recorded less than 0.7 inches (1.8 centimeters) in 2022. The surface level in the drought-stricken region’s water supply – the Lake Mead reservoir behind Hoover Dam on the Colorado River – has dropped to less than 30 percent. While runoff from storms in the Las Vegas area will reach the lake, monsoon moisture isn’t likely to affect the ongoing regional drought, Adair said. “For that, we generally rely on the winter season where we have a lot of Pacific storms that come in and cover a large area with rain and snow,” the meteorologist said. “This can have a significant impact on drought.” The Morning Update and Afternoon Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.
