Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Storms bring rain to Southern Nevada, spark fire at Mount Charleston

0731weather01

Steve Marcus

A bolt of lighting strikes behind the southern-valley mountains as a thunderstorm moves into Henderson Friday, July 31, 2015.

Updated Friday, July 31, 2015 | 10:20 p.m.

Click to enlarge photo

A rainbow appears amid dark clouds looking south from the 215 Beltway and Green Valley Parkway, Friday, July 31, 2015.

Rain and gusty winds visited the Las Vegas area Friday, with a lightning strike causing a small house fire on Mount Charleston, according to the National Weather Service and fire officials.

About 0.12 to 0.2 inches of rain fell in the southwest valley and in parts of Henderson including Anthem, weather service meteorologist Todd Lericos said.

Showers also hit Summerlin and the area near Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area on Thursday night.

The National Weather Service extended a flash flood watch through 9 p.m. Saturday as storms moved into the valley Friday afternoon.

A storm in the Mount Charleston area led to rain, hail and lightning, meteorologist Andrew Gorelow said. There were reports of 2.15 inches of rain in the area.

Clark County Fire Department crews were called about 2 p.m. Friday to a home in the 4000 block of Cougar Ridge Trail on the mountain, where someone reported that lightning struck a house, the department said.

Light smoke could be seen, and the slow-moving fire in the insulation of the residence was contained, the department said.

The fire caused about $5,000 damage, and no injuries were reported.

Highway 156, also known as Lee Canyon Road, was closed due to the weather about 2:50 p.m. but was reopened about an hour later after debris was cleared from the roadway, according to the weather service and Nevada Highway Patrol.

The rainy day closed out the month of July, during which official temperatures recorded at McCarran International Airport never reached 110-plus degrees.

It's the first time that has happened since 1993 and the eighth time since 1937, according to the weather service.

The chance of rain Saturday is about 40 percent, dropping to 10 percent Sunday, Gorelow said.

Meteorologists expect cloudy afternoon skies Saturday with a high temperature of 99 degrees.

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