Dust storm and flash floods hit Las Vegas as Southwest rains force evacuations

A towering dust cloud swept over Las Vegas before heavy rain flooded streets, and on Sunday flash flooding forced evacuations in parts of Arizona, while officials in Colorado warned of potentially catastrophic flooding.

Storms brought a towering wall of dust and then flash flooding to Las Vegas over the Halloween weekend, as a wet spell drenched the normally arid Southwest. Video from the city shows a massive dust cloud rolling over the Strip and floodwater rushing through streets and parking lots.

The National Weather Service issued flash-flood warnings for parts of Clark County, including Las Vegas, after thunderstorms on Friday. Parts of the valley recorded more than 1.5 inches of rain, according to county rain gauges, and downtown Las Vegas saw more than an inch by Friday afternoon. No injuries were reported.

Heavy rain on Sunday caused flash flooding and mandatory evacuations across a wider swath of the region. In Pagosa Springs, Colorado, officials warned of "potentially catastrophic flooding" as the San Juan River was forecast to crest at more than 20 feet, above the 17.8 feet recorded in the devastating flood of 1911. The river had reached about 14 feet by sundown Sunday, and roads in and out of town were closed.

In Arizona, officials in Sedona ordered residents near Oak Creek to leave immediately as floodwaters trapped people in their homes, and Camp Verde and Yavapai County issued similar orders. Gila County ordered the total evacuation of Gisela, and Tucson saw swift-water boat rescues. "We are getting two or three months of rain in a span of a couple of days," said Aaron Hardin, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Tucson. In Flagstaff, police were searching for a man who fell into fast-moving floodwater.

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