If you’re planning a trip to Vegas, you might be gambling on the weather..A severe thunderstorm accomplished what no one thought could happen — shut down the Las Vegas Strip..Sin City was hammered by a torrential downpour Thursday night, flooding the entire Strip, home to some of the world’s most famous casinos and hotels..The heavy rain filled countless buildings around the city, flooding parking lots and airports, turning streams into rivers of water, making roads impassable..Las Vegas resident, Alexander Wolf told The New York Post he saw “curtains” of rainfall outside his window..“Lightning was nearly constant, and the power went out several times,” said Wolf. “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.”.Flash floods are rare in Vegas — the average yearly rainfall is only four inches — but being a desert city the ground doesn’t absorb rain water, especially in a desert city as built up as is Vegas, says Simon Jowitt, an economic geologist and professor at the University of Las Vegas..“While flash floods don’t happen too often, Nevadans do anticipate monsoon season from July to September, says Jowitt..“We’ve got good drainage systems, but sometimes the water just overloads them. 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. ” .“These rains don’t happen that often, but we’ve had a few days in a row now.”.The iconic Caesar’s Palace was flooded, with rising water rushing through its parkade..Rainwater poured through the roofs of casinos, soaking carpets and bringing gambling to a halt..Local airports are experiencing severe delays as a result of the flood..“My flight has been delayed an hour so far and maybe more,” Shondra Kayd, who is experiencing severe delays with her outgoing flight to Toronto told The Post. “A lot of planes had to land at different airports.”.Earlier Thursday Harry Reid International Airport departure delays were averaging 50 minutes. Planes scheduled to fly to Las Vegas were being held at their starting airports until at least 11 p.m., according to FlightAware.com.Authorities warned last night more flooding is on the way as the storm continues to rage on..Las Vegas Fire Information Officer Tim Szymanski confirmed no injuries have yet been reported.. Vegas floodingVegas flooding
