Videos show Las Vegas casinos underwater again following flash floods, the latest in a string of extreme weather events

Advertisement
Videos show Las Vegas casinos underwater again following flash floods, the latest in a string of extreme weather events
The Bellagio Water Fountain Show on Las Vegas Strip is viewed from a tower at Caesars Palace Hotel & Casino, on July 14, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.George Rose/Getty Images
  • Flash floods hit Las Vegas for the second time in two weeks on Thursday.
  • Videos from social media show water rushing into casinos from the ceiling.
Advertisement

Monsoon rain poured over Las Vegas Thursday, causing flooding in some of the city's iconic casinos for the second time in two weeks. Videos posted on social media appear to show downpours and the damage they caused on the casino floors. Those videos have not been independently confirmed by Insider.

One Twitter user posted a video from inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino as card tables were soaked with water flowing from the ceiling.

This monsoon season in Las Vegas is the wettest in 10 years, according to the National Weather Service in Las Vegas. A total of .58 inches of rain fell on the city Thursday, bringing the total rainfall of monsoon season so far to 1.28 inches.

Climate change, driven by all the greenhouse gasses that humans have released into the atmosphere, is changing the planet's water cycle. Rising temperatures are increasing water evaporation and changing the atmospheric and ocean currents that distribute moisture across the globe. In some places, drought is becoming more common, extreme, or prolonged. In others, heavy rainfall and flooding are increasing.

Nevada suffers both extremes. Though it's the driest state in the US, its rainstorms are expected to become more extreme, with more flash flooding, as the climate changes. That's partially because warmer air holds more water, and can therefore release greater torrents when it does rain.

Advertisement

In a clip posted on Twitter of a car pushing its way through floodwaters near The Linq Hotel & Casino, onlookers can be heard cheering on the driver — although some people watching weren't as confident.

"Holy shit, holy shit, I don't know if you can do it," a person can be heard saying in the video.

The drought in Nevada can actually makes floods worse, since dry soil absorbs less water. That allows more flooding to build up on top of the soil and create dangerous high-speed floodwaters, like the ones that rushed through Death Valley in a once-in-1,000-year event last weekend, or the waters in these videos from Las Vegas.

Video posted on Twitter from a passenger on a Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada bus showed the streets flooding with moving waters.

"Charleston feels like a raging rapids ride right now," the tweet said, referring to Las Vegas' Charleston Boulevard.

Advertisement

The National Weather Service shared a video of the storm as it moved into the area.

More storms are possible again on Friday with the potential for flash flooding, according to the National Weather Service.

{{}}