12 Aug 2018 | 05:36 PM UTC
US: Power outages due to southern Nevada storm Aug. 12
Dust storm, strong winds, heavy rain across southern Nevada (including Las Vegas) August 11-12 cause widespread power outages; crews working to restore power August 12
Event
Parts of southern Nevada were struck by a dust storm and major thunderstorm on the evening (local time) of Saturday, August 11, which knocked out electricity to tens of thousands of customers. Although over 62,000 customers were without power at the height of the outages, that number had dropped to 13,527 as of shortly after 10:00, according to the NV Energy outages map. The majority of power outages are in the Las Vegas Valley area. Crews are currently working to restore power across the region. NV Energy is advising individuals present in affected areas to consider all downed power lines to be live and dangerous, and to stay away from them.
Although flights were briefly disrupted at McCarran International Airport (LAS; which serves the Las Vegas Valley) as a result of the weather, normal operations have since resumed. Residual disruptions at regional airports remain possible.
Advice
Individuals present in affected areas are advised to monitor local weather forecasts, adhere to instructions issued by the local authorities, and keep battery-powered devices charged when possible.
