Flash flood warnings across the Southwest after North Las Vegas: a calm checklist for home

What happened in North Las Vegas

NWS Las Vegas issued two flash flood warnings for the valley on the evening of Saturday, October 31. The first, at 6:21 PM PDT, named Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Lone Mountain, Centennial Hills, Aliante, Summerlin, North Las Vegas Airport and Floyd Lamb Park. The second, at 6:46 PM, covered northwestern Clark County, including North Las Vegas. Each warned of "Life threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses."

By 7:43 PM, NWS said radar and rain gauges showed "Between 0.5 and 1 inch of rain has fallen" in the first warning's area, central Clark County. By 9:40 PM it had ended both warnings: "The heavy rain has ended. Flooding is no longer expected to pose a threat. Please continue to heed remaining road closures." A day earlier, on October 30, another warning had named North Las Vegas, The Strip and Paradise, with up to an inch of rain.

Where the flood alerts are now

We counted the NWS's active alerts for six Southwest states at 4:04 PM ET on Sunday, November 1. There were 20 flash flood warnings, 17 of them in Arizona and 3 in New Mexico, and 44 flood warnings: 26 in Arizona, 9 in New Mexico, 6 in Colorado and 3 in Utah. There were also 14 flood watches, touching Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada and California. Alerts are issued and cancelled all day, so check the live alerts page for the current picture.

In southern Utah, NWS Salt Lake City has a flood watch until 11 PM MST tonight for areas including Lower Washington County, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon Country and Glen Canyon. It warns that runoff "may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, dry washes, slot canyons" and other flood-prone places, including recent burn scars.

NWS Las Vegas has a flood watch until 4 AM PST Monday for northeast Clark County, Lincoln County, the Nevada and Arizona sides of Lake Mead and Lake Mohave, parts of northwest Arizona and San Bernardino County's Upper Colorado River Valley. It says "Between a half an inch and an inch of rain will be possible." The Las Vegas valley itself is not in this watch.

New Mexico: a FEMA emergency, and warnings again today

FEMA's OpenFEMA data lists an emergency declaration for New Mexico, EM-3660-NM, "SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING", declared on October 26, 2026, for an incident that began on October 22 and has no end date yet. It names Cibola, Rio Arriba, Sandoval and San Juan counties, the Pueblo of Acoma, Laguna, San Ildefonso and Zia pueblos, and the Jicarilla Apache reservation.

The declaration covers FEMA's Public Assistance program. FEMA's data does not list its Individuals and Households Program for it. USA.gov's disaster assistance page has an address lookup to check whether your area is eligible for FEMA help.

Rain is falling on the same ground today. At 1:46 PM MST, NWS Albuquerque warned that "Flash flooding is already occurring" in northeastern San Juan County, after emergency management reported washed-out roads and water over roads. It named Farmington, Bloomfield, Aztec and Kirtland among the places at risk.

Watch, warning, advisory: what each one means

NWS issues four kinds of flood alert, and each asks something different of you.

• Flood Watch: "A Flood Watch is issued when conditions are favorable for flooding. It does not mean flooding will occur, but it is possible." NWS's label: Be Prepared.
• Flood Advisory: flooding "is not expected to be bad enough to issue a warning" but may still cause significant inconvenience. NWS's label: Be Aware.
• Flood Warning: "A Flood Warning is issued when flooding is imminent or occurring." NWS's label: Take Action.
• Flash Flood Warning: "A Flash Flood Warning is issued when a flash flood is imminent or occurring. If you are in a flood prone area move immediately to high ground."

If a warning is issued where you live

NWS says a flash flood "can take from minutes to hours to develop", and can happen "in areas not immediately receiving rain." That is why a dry wash or arroyo near you can flood even when it isn't raining where you are. Act on the warning, not on what you see out the window.

NWS's advice during a flood comes down to a few steps. If you live in a flood-prone area, get to higher ground immediately. If you are told to evacuate, do so immediately. Don't walk through flood water: "It only takes 6 inches of moving water to knock you off your feet." If you are trapped by moving water, move to the highest possible point and call 911 if you can.

At home, NWS says: "Don't go into a basement, or any room, if water covers the electrical outlets or if cords are submerged." Keep your phone charged and alerts switched on. Our guide to emergency alerts on your phone shows how.

On the road

Most flood deaths happen in cars. NWS Las Vegas put it in every warning this weekend: "Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles." NWS's flood safety page says "A mere 6 inches of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult. It takes just 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars and just 2 feet of rushing water can carry away SUVs and trucks."

Never drive around barriers across a flooded road. NWS warns "The road may have collapsed under that water," and in New Mexico today emergency managers reported a highway washed out.

After the water goes down

Stay out of flood water even once the rain stops. CDC says "The best way to protect yourself is to stay out of the water," and "even shallow standing water can be dangerous for small children."

If water got into your home, CDC's advice is to throw away food that may have touched flood or storm water, and to "Follow local guidance on whether your water is safe to drink." If you use a generator, pump or pressure washer while you clean up, CDC says never run it inside a home, basement, garage, carport, porch or other enclosed or partly enclosed space, or less than 20 feet from any door, window or vent, even with them open. Our generator safety guide explains why.

What you don't need to do

You don't need to buy anything because of a watch. If you were thinking about flood insurance, FloodSmart says a new policy goes into effect "30 days after your date of purchase," with four exceptions, so a policy bought today usually won't cover this weekend's storms. It is still worth a look for the next one, and our flood preparedness guide explains how it works.

Don't drive out to look at flooded washes, and don't expect sandbags to seal out a flood. Our sandbag guide covers what they can and can't do. Your state's page lists its live NWS alerts and its emergency management office.