Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Flood threat subsides for mountain residents after rough day

Rainbow Subdivision Hit Hard By Flooding

Steve Marcus

Duffy Grismanauskas, left, talks with volunteer firefighter Jim Tiscareno as he tries to keep runoff from his home in the Rainbow Subdivision on Mt. Charleston Monday, July 28, 2014. The neighborhood was hit hard by flooding and debris in runoff last year as well.

Rainbow Subdivision Hit Hard By Flooding

Resident Joyce Luman looks inside a neighbor's home in the Rainbow Subdivision on Mt. Charleston Monday, July 28, 2014. The homeowners were still repairing the home from last year's storm, neighbors said. Launch slideshow »

A day after floodwaters ripped through the Rainbow Canyon area of Mount Charleston on Monday, wreaking havoc on roads, homes and the local water supply, mountain residents face much less of a storm threat.

The Tuesday morning forecast for Mount Charleston calls for a 30 percent chance of rain, and even less in the Las Vegas Valley, National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Stachelski said. Valley conditions are expected to be mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 90s, and a slight wind of 10 mph.

On Monday, eight homes in the Rainbow Canyon area of Mount Charleston sustained significant damage from flooding.

Rainbow Canyon Boulevard was washed out and impassable because of water and mud flow, Clark County spokeswoman Stacey Welling said. The road and utility lines were damaged, and officials were working to restore full access to the subdivision, she said.

Also, the Las Vegas Valley Water District advised residents late Monday to boil their water before drinking it.

The notice applied to more than 100 customers living in the lower portion of the Rainbow Canyon subdivision between Moritz Way and Rainbow Canyon Boulevard, spokesman Bronson Mack said.

Those living in the upper portion of Rainbow Canyon — as well as those living in Cathedral Rock, Old Town and Echo — were not affected.

A thunderstorm moving through the county about 6 p.m. Monday prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning for central Clark County, including Boulder City, until 8:30 p.m.

The storm caused flash flooding near Willow Beach in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which is 16 miles southeast of Boulder City.

Earlier Monday, heavy flooding forced the closure of State Route 157 at the intersection with State Route 158 on Mount Charleston, according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.

Only emergency vehicles were allowed past that point, Trooper Loy Hixson said. Rain caused heavy runoff that washed debris onto the road, Hixson said.

Thunderstorms dumped as much as a half inch of rain in parts of the Las Vegas Valley on Sunday, and the National Weather Service today issued a flood watch for the area.

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