As Tropical Storm Priscilla continues to usher in a deluge, Las Vegas and surrounding areas have been put on high alert. The National Weather Service in Las Vegas has issued a Flood Watch in effect for Mohave County, Lincoln County, parts of southeastern San Bernardino County, and the Spring Mountains until Saturday evening. According to their NWS forecast, this moist turnout is courtesy of Priscilla's generous reach.
For those betting on whether the rains will ease up or double down, it looks like the latter is the house favorite. " We
have already seen widespread showers and thunderstorms over the eastern and southern areas of the forecast during the past 24 hours," the NWS stated, predicting scattered to widespread showers and thunderstorms persisting through Friday. Lincoln County and the Spring Mountains have already soaked up 0.50"-0.75" of rain, with the rest of the region receiving slightly less.
Luckily, there's a glimmer of respite on the horizon as an incoming trough slated for late Saturday is tipped to usher in a drier southwest flow, curtailing the precipitation as it sweeps east. Until then, regions like Esmeralda, central Nye, and the northern Owens Valley are braced for another day of wind gusts topping out at 35-40 mph and the chance of blowing dust causing potential visibility and travel concerns.
The forecast brings a bit of a cooldown as we head into Sunday, with a noted dip in humidity and temperatures falling several degrees below the norm. "By Sunday, the aforementioned trough will have ushered in notably drier air," noted the NWS, with the coming week maintaining these cooler admissions. Come Tuesday and Wednesday, a new trough is anticipated, bringing chances of rain to the northwestern zones with PoPs ranging from 20-40%.
Aviation conditions could get turbulent with vicinity showers and embedded storms at a 50 to 75% likelihood per the latest NWS report. "Additional rounds of at least vicinity showers and embedded storms are likely (50 to 75%) throughout most of the TAF period," warned the forecast. The NWS cautions that convection reaching terminals could lead to erratic gusts and brief periods where flight visibility takes a dip into the MVFR/IFR category.
Lastly, for those keeping an eye to the sky and a hand ready to report, spotters are poised to be an integral part of this storm's narrative. "Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures," the NWS advised, ensuring a communal effort in weather monitoring and safety. As the region hunkers down amidst Priscilla's parting gifts, it's clear that this game of atmospheric roulette is far from over.
