It’s mid-July in Las Vegas and, almost on cue, here come the thunderstorms.
A wave of monsoon moisture is expected to arrive in Southern Nevada today, bringing a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms to Las Vegas, said Matt Woods, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Las Vegas.
He said they’ll be “hit-or-miss” storms, favoring the high terrain around Las Vegas first then moving into the valley by mid-afternoon and lasting through the early evening hours.
Woods said flooding is the “primary threat” from the storms. He said the monsoonal moisture is going to stick around Southern Nevada for at least a week. There is a 10 percent chance of rain for Saturday and Sunday. Today’s forecast high is 101 degrees, with the dew point at 60.
He said Tropical Storm Elida, which formed this week about 500 miles west of Mexico in the eastern Pacific Ocean, will not influence the valley’s weather. The storm is expected to head northwest away from Mexico by the weekend, according to the the National Hurricane Center.
Monsoon season
The summer monsoon season in Southern Nevada runs from late June into September. Julie Phillipson, lead meteorologist at the NWS, told the Review-Journal last week that it is hard to say whether the region will see an increased number of thunderstorms this summer, but it is possible given the current setup in the atmosphere.
“There is a strengthening El Niño right now, so that could indicate a more active Eastern Pacific tropical storm season, which could give us more opportunities for significant monsoon events, but right now we have to wait and see,” she said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting a 40 percent to 50 percent chance of above-normal precipitation in Southern Nevada this month and a slightly lower chance for above-normal precipitation through September. Normal precipitation in Las Vegas averages 0.38 inch of rain in July, 0.32 inch in August and 0.32 inch in September, according to data from NOAA.
Weather facts
— On June 23, Reid recorded 0.02 inches of rain, breaking a rainless streak of 124 days. It was the only rainfall of the month.
— Last month was the seventh-warmest June on record, with an average temperature of 91.1 degrees, the NWS said. It was the first June since June 2022 that did not see a temperature of 110 or above.
— Las Vegas hit 100 degrees for the first time this year on May 8.
— It hit 98 on March 25 at the airport, the hottest March day ever in Las Vegas. The valley saw eight consecutive days of record-breaking heat that month, the hottest March in history.
Contact Mark Davis at mdavis@reviewjournal.com.
