Experts discuss monsoon season outlook in Las Vegas amid dry conditions

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – It’s mid-June and that means the monsoon season is just around the corner.

Monsoon season is usually from July to September. Many in the Las Vegas Valley are hoping for significant rainfall this summer, something we haven’t seen in nearly three years.

The National Weather Service in Las Vegas released a weather balloon Friday afternoon. As technology tracks current conditions, Senior Forecaster John Adair is also focused on the future.

“I think most people hope to see at least some thunderstorms and heavy rains,” Adair said.

The monsoon season begins, but the past few years have not lived up to their name and have only scattered here and there.

“The last time we had a fairly active season was the 2018 monsoon season,” Adair said.

According to Adair, this is because the high pressure patterns are not designed to bring us a lot of moisture. It is still unclear what this year’s monsoon season will look like, but Adair says we can expect problems if it rains little.

“The dry vegetation in our region and across the west is likely to make the forest fire season quite active,” Adair said.

The low water levels at Lake Mead are also worrying.

Senior Forecaster John Adair

“I’m pretty scared,” said Nick Christenson, a volunteer at the Sierra Club, Toiyabe Chapter.

Environmental activists say that given weather conditions, we need to rethink our water usage.

“It’s so dry here that we have to use more water to preserve the flora in the area. So it’s all a conspiracy against us to make this a real emergency, ”Christenson said.

As the summer goes on, Adair keeps an eye on the sky.

“It is really July that we see the potential for an active monsoon season,” Adair said.

Adair adds that it really is the first or second week of July when we will see the first good burst of moisture in the area, so we will see if this results in thunderstorms.