More On: Las Vegas flood
Las Vegas: 'Monsoon' flash floods drown out multiple casinos, the whole Strip, and the airport
Thursday night, floods hit airports, parking lots, and the whole Las Vegas Strip, which has some of the most famous casinos and hotels in the world.
A flash flood and severe thunderstorm warning was put in place, and many buildings were filled with heavy rain.
Floodwaters cover the streets of Sin City in a video that was shared on Twitter. Other videos showed streets in downtown turning into small rivers and water pouring into casinos.
The Las Vegas Fire Information Officer Tim Szymanski told The Post that no one has been hurt at this time.
Other social media videos showed that the inside of the Circa sportsbook was full of floodwater that soaked the carpet.
In another video that has been posted online, water pours out of a hole in the ceiling of the Planet Hollywood Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard. Staffers can be seen using their cell phones to record the chaos.
When it rains in #LasVegas! I'm sure glad I got off the highway just before this! It was scary when driving home from dinner, though!! pic.twitter.com/dP58ge85AF
— Perez (@ThePerezHilton) July 29, 2022
Video I received from an employee working near the sports book at Circa. Clean up after flooding that just occurred. You definitely don’t see this everyday. @8NewsNow #8NN
— Victoria Saha (@VictoriaSaha) July 29, 2022
Courtesy: Dan Miller pic.twitter.com/CxmjHH78Rn
The iconic Caesar’s Palace was also affected by floodwater, as a video posted online showed the ceiling unable to contain the water, which poured onto the carpets.
The Post has reached out to Planet Hollywood and Caesar’s Palace for comment, while Circa sportsbook declined to comment.
Alexander Wolf, a Las Vegas resident, told The Post he saw “curtains” of rainfall outside his window.
@News3LV this is the Linq parking garage on the Strip. pic.twitter.com/lWfKULEAom
— Coach Ken Camp (@CoachKenCamp) July 29, 2022
“Lightning was nearly constant, and the power went out several times,” he told The Post. “Electric surges set the fire alarms of several buildings off, causing fire responders to have to head out into the storm to respond to them.”
Simon Jowitt, an economic geologist and professor at the University of Las Vegas, told The Post that while flash floods don’t happen too often, Nevadans do anticipate monsoon season from July to September.
A Flash Flood Warning and Sevwre Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for the Las Vegas Valley ⚠️@NWSVegas advises to watch out for:
— City of Las Vegas (@CityOfLasVegas) July 29, 2022
- heaving downpours 🌧
- lightning ⚡️
- strong wind gusts 💨 #VegasWeather pic.twitter.com/1E8JuJlfXV
“We’ve got good drainage systems but sometimes the water just overloads them,” Jowitt, who hails from Las Vegas, told The Post. “It can also be dangerous for homeless people who sometimes live in the drainage systems for shelter.”
“The other thing is that we don’t often get rain so it’s hard to check whether roofs and the like are actually waterproof; probably what has happened in the casinos tonight,” he added.
“These rains don’t happen that often, but we’ve had a few days in a row now.”
Video sent to @8NewsNow shows flooding inside Planet Hollywood on the Las Vegas Strip after severe thunderstorms moved through.
— David Charns (@davidcharns) July 29, 2022
🎥: Ernie Gastelum pic.twitter.com/fF9kMa6p9B
In other places, the flood is causing major problems at local airports.
Shondra Kayd, whose flight to Toronto, Canada has been delayed a lot, told The Post, "My flight has been delayed an hour so far, and maybe more." "Many planes had to land at various airports."
Earlier on Thursday, flights leaving Harry Reid International Airport were usually 50 minutes late. FlightAware.com says that planes that were supposed to fly to Las Vegas were being held at their home airports until at least 11 p.m.
