LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The 2024 monsoon officially closes on Sept. 30, and although we've seen a few storms this season, this will still go down as one of the top ten driest on record in Las Vegas — likely the 7th driest — as long as conditions stay warm and non-active through the rest of the month.
We've officially picked up 0.08" of rain at the airport since the monsoon began on June 15. The underperforming rainfall is directly related to the overperforming heat 2024.
WATCH | Monsoon or Non-soon? How the 2024 season stacks up so far weather-wise
The location of the heat dome across the Western United States much of the last four months has not been favorable for widespread moisture to stream north into Southern Nevada and set the stage for pop-up storms.
Record heat in July in Las Vegas (seven consecutive days at or above 115°, a new all-time record high of 120°) happened when a strong area of high pressure (i.e., the heat dome) moved from the Pacific Coast across the Desert Southwest.
That's the opposite of a typical monsoon set-up, which happens when high pressure develops near the Four Corners and the clockwise winds around high pressure draw humidity into Southern Nevada from the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf of California.
For what it's worth, the 2023 monsoon was the 9th wettest season on record in Las Vegas, with 2.88" of rain at the airport between June 15 and September 30.
