Heavy rains drench Las Vegas in early May
During the first week of May, Las Vegas experienced an unprecedented weather event, recording the wettest May in its history after being soaked by four consecutive days of rain. From Saturday, May 3, to Tuesday, May 6, a slow-moving low-pressure system stalled over the Mojave Desert, interacting with moisture from the Pacific Ocean, triggering prolonged and intense rainfall.
This atmospheric setup was described as “very unusual” by Chris Outler, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Las Vegas, particularly due to the location and persistence of the system over a region typically characterized by dry spring conditions.
Extreme rainfall and storm activity
By Tuesday, May 6, 1.44 inches (36.6 mm) of rain had been recorded at Harry Reid International Airport, shattering the previous May rainfall record of 0.96 inches (24.4 mm) set in 1969. This four-day rainfall total represents over a third of the city’s average annual precipitation, which stands at just 4.18 inches (106 mm).
On the final day of the event, Tuesday, severe thunderstorms pounded the region with heavy downpours, strong winds, and hail as large as quarters. The Weather Service issued multiple severe thunderstorm warnings spanning from east San Bernardino County in California, across the Las Vegas metropolitan area, and as far east as Bullhead City, Arizona.
Deadly flash flooding in Henderson
The storm’s impact was tragically felt in Henderson, Nevada, a suburb southeast of Las Vegas, where a man was swept away by floodwaters on Tuesday. Local authorities confirmed the incident, underscoring the deadly risks associated with urban flash flooding in areas not typically accustomed to handling large volumes of rainfall in short periods.
Uncommon timing and meteorological rarity
May is historically the second-driest month for the Mojave Desert, which relies mostly on winter precipitation and the summer monsoon. However, this year’s early May deluge was caused by a rare convergence of northern and Pacific systems, creating a unique weather anomaly for the desert southwest.
