Desert Rain

We here in the Las Vegas Valley don't get much rain. The average is about 4" per year. It's a desert after all.
But when we do get rain, we get it all at once. In a day, we may get a half inch of rain. Not much by most standards, but that half inch we get will come down in the space of about 5, maybe 10 minutes.
The desert floor has a lot of clay, caliche and rock, none of which provide very good absorption or drainage. So when it rains, it pours. Then it floods. Roads and gutters swell beyond capacity, and the streets become flooded washes. Drivers become idiots, and emergency personnel become backlogged. Traffic pretty much grinds to a halt.

So as I was in the check-out line at the grocery store yesterday afternoon, we had a storm. Wind, rain, fire, brimstone. Well, not really but there was wind, rain, lightning and thunder. I loaded wet groceries into my truck as the streets became flooded and the drivers became idiots. It took me twice as long to get home, following and dodging those idiots, and splashing through the 8 to 16 inches of water on the roads.

I just wanted to point one thing out, in case any of you come to Las Vegas and encounter a storm.
Don't be like the car I passed while I was spewing 15 foot rooster tails of rainwater from under my tires. Roll your windows up before I get there!

That is all.