Rainy day activities?   In Las Vegas ?  

You would think that there wouldn't be any rainy day activities in a city, located in the Mojave Desert, which receives an annual rainfall amount of 4.13 inches.   But Las Vegas hosts a very exciting and challenging rainy day activity…..staying alive!  

Las Vegas' minimal rainfall, when it does occur, takes the form of sudden, violent thunderstorms which, because of the parched landscape and ever increasing amounts of pavement in the city, cause dangerous flash flooding.   The Clark County Regional Flood Control District sites the statistic that " Since 1960, the area has experienced at least 11 floods costing more than a million dollars each. In that same period, 31 lives were lost in 21 separate flash flood events."  

While flooding can occur in any time, the months between July and September are the most dangerous as unstable air from the Gulf of Mexico is rapidly forced upward by hot air currents. The dynamics of this process often result in spectacular displays of lightning in the desert sky. The rain water from the resulting storms runs down from the surrounding mountains into the Las Vegas area, which is at a lower elevation. The floods are unpredictable, capricious and are capable of causing severe damage to vehicles, property and sudden death to pedestrians and motorists.    

Here's a rundown of some of Nevada 's recent floods from the Las Vegas Review-Journal :

• June 10, 1990: A 25-year-old woman drowns when her car is swept into a flood channel, and a 19-year-old man drowns in Green Valley , where he is swept into a manhole during a storm that drops 1.57 inches of rain in an hour.

• July 16, 1990: A 25-year-old woman drowns after her car is swept off Arville Street and into Flamingo Wash. Her body is found downstream in the lower level of the Imperial Palace parking garage. Storms during the month cause $8.7 million in damage to public facilities.

• Aug. 23, 1995: Thunderstorms with winds estimated at 75 mph drop up to 1.5 inches of rain in 10 minutes. A man's body is found pinned against a tree on the bank of a wash channel near Tioga Way in the Las Vegas Hilton Country Club golf course. A witness says the man had been sleeping under a bridge at Koval Lane before the deluge swept him away.

• Aug. 10, 1997: Flash floods in the Las Vegas Valley kill a man who is pushed under a parked vehicle by rushing water near Skyline Road and Tamarack Drive in Henderson . Cars are swept off roadways and heavy winds topple trees, while hail as big as quarters pelts the landscape. Floodwaters cut off access to Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Boulder City , and residents are evacuated from Stadium Mobile Home Park on Russell Road near Hollywood Boulevard . Some 9,000 residents are left without power. Officials from Boulder City and Henderson report $5 million in flood damage. In all, 83 homes and 10 businesses are damaged.

• July 8, 1999: Within 90 minutes during the morning as much as 3 inches of rain falls in some parts of the Las Vegas Valley . Hundreds of homes and businesses are flooded, and two people die as a result. Traffic grinds to a standstill on Interstate 15, and parts of Boulder Highway are closed for a week while cleanup crews work. Two weeks after the 100-year flood, President Clinton declares Clark County a federal disaster area, providing relief to 363 local residences that suffered an estimated $1.5 million in damage. County officials predict it will cost more than $20 million to repair damage to roads and other public property. Rainy days in Las Vegas can be a real hazard to anyone caught by the sudden fury of nature.  

So, the main rainy day activities in Las Vegas are always awareness and caution.   The number one rule for dealing with flooding in Las Vegas, or anywhere is:  "Turn Around, Don't Drown ."  

If you are walking or driving and encounter a flooded roadway or path, turn around and dont't try to cross!   It only takes 6 inches of moving water to sweep someone off their feet and 24 inches to float most vehicles.