The top of a palm tree, snapped off by high winds, blocks a sidewalk at The District at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson Friday, July 20, 2018
Published Friday, July 20, 2018 | 7:07 p.m.
Updated Friday, July 20, 2018 | 8:16 p.m.
A brief, but rapidly intensifying storm this evening produced quarter-size hail and gusts above 70 mph in Henderson, according to the National Weather Service.
About 2,000 NV Energy customers were affected with outages as the storm knocked down power poles.
By about 7:30 p.m. the storm began to dissipate. But that occurred after the volatile conditions had prompted the weather service to issue a since-expired severe thunderstorm warning.
The east valley was under a flash flood warning, the weather service said. “Avoid roads in the area and never drive through flooded roads," the service said on Twitter. It was to expire about 10 p.m.
The weather service described the storm as a “perfect example of a microburst.” That is a sudden deluge an strong winds “fueled by evaporative cooling.”
The torrential rain flooded St. Rose Parkway and Eastern Avenue, according to the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.
Winds in the 70-mph range can “blow out windows and do significant damage,” the weather service said.
Residents in Henderson and Las Vegas had been advised to “take cover,” the weather service said. Soaking wind pummeled palm trees in the Green Valley area. Seven Hills also was affected.
