Vegas Casinos Flooded From Recent Torrential Rainfall

Article by : Erik Gibbs Sep 4, 2023

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As the weekend kicked off, swift-moving storms flooded Las Vegas. These sudden weather conditions took a toll on some casinos in the city, which had to contend with indoor waterfalls.

Videos and photos capturing the deluge in the World’s Gambling Capital have become viral on social media. One video, posted on Saturday evening by sports podcast host Matt Perrault, depicts casino staff utilizing tarps and buckets to shield slot machines from water cascading from the ceiling.

Local news outlets have also shared dramatic images. These snapshots included one of a driver being rescued from a car surrounded by floodwaters. The videos and pictures also showed how some locals were forced to abandon their vehicles on overpasses.

Las Vegas city officials have explained that this is the region’s so-called monsoon season. Authorities defined this as a period when the hot land temperatures prompt humid Pacific Ocean air. The final effect comes in the form of heavy precipitation and storms.

In recent years, in a surprising twist, the city has been making headlines not just for its usual casino, resort and entertainment glamour. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the summer of 2022 marked the wettest monsoon season in the city in at least a decade.

The monsoon season in Las Vegas typically occurs from late June through September, driven by the interaction between the scorching desert heat and moist air from the Pacific Ocean. This collision, as authorities restated, forms weather systems capable of producing sudden and intense storms.

These storms tend to come with heavy rainfall, thunder, and lightning. The impact of this unexpected weather phenomenon was evident across the city. Now, it’s up to local authorities to define the next steps.

Las Vegas authorities and emergency services have worked tirelessly to manage the crisis. Still, there’s only so much city officials can do to help the community. That is why even some mainstream casinos and resorts on the Strip are taking precautions if rainfall remains consistent.

While casinos must deal with logistical nightmares to protect machines and avoid water filtering through their establishment’s ceiling, Las Vegas residents have also been greatly affected.

Just on Friday, the city experienced a rainfall accumulation of 0.88 inches. That amount equals nearly three times their typical monthly average for September.

In the Las Vegas Valley alone, more than 4,000 residents found themselves without electrical power due to 30 outages, as reported by NV Energy.