Watch For Flooding Now In Southern Nevada

What is this Water Falling from the Sky?

Much of our area in Southern Nevada and Utah has recently been getting rain—that delightful gift of water from the sky that anyone who has lived in the desert for longer than two weeks knows is a rare and precious gift. We are grateful for the moisture and most of us are glad to have a change of pace from the sunny skies that we enjoy most days of the year.

Remember Rare Rain Gives Us Unique Challenges

While the rain is always welcome, we need to remember that our particular landscape is not used to rain, this lack of regular moisture means that our areas are more susceptible to floods. It doesn’t take much for our soil to be overwhelmed and to see that water start to run.

Beware the Low Grounds

Officials have officially sounded warnings for many areas that are in the lower terrains. Be careful if you are planning on visiting any of these areas. To be honest, many times the reason I head to the lowlands is to witness the flooding water, if you are like me take those precautions to make sure you're safe. You should also check the roadways to make sure nothing has been washed out.

More Danger After The Rain

This one always gets me. We had a storm a while ago, but the sunny day gave me no warning of flooding, so I forgot about the upstream effect. I mean most of our water comes from upstream, meaning it storms in Colorado and we see it days or months later hitting our rivers. Even in local terrain a storm up stream in a slot canyon can bring floods to sunny skies. So be aware even after the storm has passed.

Read More: Keep an Eye Out for These Cloud Formations

Let’s celebrate this amazing time of year when we actually get to see rain—a phenomenon so rare that by mid-August we might start to question whether the rain concept is an urban legend or a fairytale, but remember to stay safe in this landscape where rain is never the norm.