Man swept away by flash floodwaters after record-breaking rainfall in Las Vegas
Las Vegas has had more rain in the last two days than parts of Florida in the last month
Torrential rain and damaging hail hammered the Las Vegas area from May 5-6.
A man is still missing after being swept away in fast-moving floodwaters Tuesday during a swift water rescue in Henderson, Nevada, located around 15 miles southeast of downtown Las Vegas.
Rescue crews from the Henderson Fire Department responded around 2:20 p.m. to reports of a person caught in a wash—a dry creek bed prone to flooding—following a surge of water through the area. According to KTNV, responders briefly spotted the man in the water, but he was quickly pulled under before they could reach him.
Despite search efforts, the man has not been located. The rescue has since been reclassified as a missing person investigation. His identity has not been released.
"Las Vegas has had more rain in the last two days than parts of Florida in the last month," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jesse Ferrell said.
Las Vegas broke the record for the most rain recorded in May, reaching 1.44 inches so far. The rainfall caused flooding in The Linq Hotel and Casino parking garage on May 5, which is designed to flood in order to drain water into Lake Mead.
Las Vegas picked up 0.61 of an inch of rain on Tuesday, a new record for May 6, breaking the old one from 1969 (0.59"). It also pushed this month into the top spot for the wettest May on record, with 1.44 inches of rain so far, and it's only May 7. The previous record was 0.96 of an inch, also set back in 1969.
Flash floods and sudden water surges in desert washes are a well-known hazard in the Southwest, especially during the warm season when brief downpours or upstream runoff can transform dry channels into dangerous torrents in minutes. Just 6 inches of moving water can knock a person off their feet, and 1 foot of water can carry away a vehicle.
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