Friday storm triggers flash flood warning across Las Vegas valley, closes Henderson road and cuts power to thousands

What happened

A sudden storm moved into Southern Nevada on Friday, and the National Weather Service responded with a flash flood warning for the Las Vegas area lasting through at least 4 p.m., KTNV Channel 13 reported. Forecasters said up to 1 inch of rain had already fallen and that flash flooding was ongoing or expected to begin soon.

The weather service used urgent language. "This is a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation," forecasters wrote, according to KTNV. They also urged people to stay off the roads: "Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order."

Rescues and road closures in Henderson

Three rescue calls at once

A Henderson city spokesperson told Channel 13 that emergency crews answered three rescue calls at the same time Friday afternoon as water rushed across roads in the city. First responders pulled four people to safety, and one of them did not survive, according to the city. Our earlier brief covers the Henderson flash flooding rescues in more detail.

Lake Mead Parkway shut down

The City of Henderson closed Lake Mead Parkway east of Lake Las Vegas Parkway because of flooding and debris from the storm, KTNV reported. As of 3:30 p.m., the city said the closure was in place in both directions. Water also collected on a golf course near Lake Las Vegas, forming what KTNV described as a mini-lake.

Flooding and outages across the valley

Power cuts in the east valley

NV Energy's outage map showed at least 2,476 customers without power in the Las Vegas area as of 4:30 p.m., according to KTNV. About 2,000 of those customers were along Bonanza Road in the east valley.

The Neon Museum was among the businesses affected. The museum posted an alert saying it had lost power and would delay opening Friday, and its website stated, "There is currently no estimated reopening time."

Standing water in the central valley

Heavy rain in the central valley filled a parking lot near Maryland Parkway and Sahara Avenue with water, KTNV reported. The station said flooding reached areas across the valley, not just Henderson.

Airport travel

Travel at Harry Reid International Airport was affected Friday by staffing issues and severe thunderstorms, according to KTNV. At the time of the station's report, the Federal Aviation Administration showed no active alerts for the Las Vegas airport.

More rain expected over Halloween weekend

County officials said more storms are on the way. "There are storms expected this weekend with the heaviest rain late Saturday and into Sunday," a county spokesperson wrote Friday, according to KTNV.

The spokesperson also noted that Saturday is Halloween, when children in costume will be moving along streets, which could make it harder for both children and drivers to see. "Please exercise extreme caution driving in the rain and in the evening hours," the spokesperson wrote. For more on the forecast, see our look at Halloween rain in Las Vegas.

What to watch next

• More storms this weekend, with the heaviest rain expected late Saturday and into Sunday, according to a county spokesperson.
• Halloween evening on Saturday, when officials urged drivers to use extreme caution in the rain and after dark.
• The Lake Mead Parkway closure east of Lake Las Vegas Parkway, which was in place in both directions as of 3:30 p.m. Friday.
• Power restoration for NV Energy customers, including the Neon Museum, which listed no estimated reopening time.