U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2006-3124

October 2006

Flooding in Clark and Lincoln Counties, Nevada,

December 2004 and January 2005

Introduction

A regional storm passed through the Las Vegas Valley, 

Nevada, on December 28–29, 2004, producing up to 2 inches 

of rain in a 24-hour period. Due to the intense, sustained 

rainfall, streamflow along Las Vegas Wash was near the 

record discharges of July 8, 1999. Additional rainfall in 

December into January, combined with an early warming 

trend, resulted in record flooding along Meadow Valley 

Wash, Muddy River, and Virgin River, January 10–11, 2005 

(figs. 1 and 2). On January 7, this warming trend resulted in 

about a 15oF (degree Fahrenheit) increase over the previous 

week (fig. 2). This temperature spike, along with further 

precipitation, caused much of the snow pack in the surrounding mountain ranges to melt and run off into the valleys. 

These two factors led to the major flood events in Clark 

and Lincoln Counties during December 2004 and January 

2005. Total flood and storm damage for Lincoln County was 

estimated at $9.4 million and $4.5 million for Clark County 

(Manning, 2005).

Clark County generally is drained by the Las Vegas 

and Meadow Valley Washes, and the Muddy and Virgin 

River systems. Las Vegas Valley is drained by Duck Creek, 

Tropicana Wash (not in fig. 1), Flamingo Wash, Las Vegas 

Wash, and several smaller tributaries (fig. 1). Water in these 

drainages generally flows eastward through Las Vegas to Las 

Vegas Wash and on toward Lake Mead, an impoundment of 

the Colorado River. The Virgin River originates in southern 

Utah, flows past Littlefield, AZ, through Mesquite, NV, and 

into the Overton Arm of Lake Mead. Meadow Valley Wash 

flows from Ursine, NV, through Caliente, NV, continues 

southeast through Moapa Valley, and into the Muddy River 

at Glendale, NV. The Muddy River flows southeast through 

Moapa Valley into the Overton Arm of Lake Mead (Kane 

and Wilson, 2000).

Data Collection

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Federal, State, and local agencies, operates a network of surfacewater discharge stations in Clark and Lincoln Counties. Data 

from these stations are crucial for water-supply planning; 

flood monitoring and warning; emergency response; dam 

and reservoir-system operation; establishing flood-insurance 

rates; and engineering and maintenance of bridges, roads, 

and other structures.

Most of these stations provide real-time data through 

satellite or radio telemetry. Data from these stations are used 

by the National Weather Service, the Clark County Regional 

Flood Control District, and other agencies to manage water 

supplies, forecast floods, and issue flood warnings.

Lincoln County

Clark County

UTAH

NEVADA

ARIZONA

Union Pacific 

Railroad

Lake 

Mead

Virgin River

Muddy

River

Meadow

Valley 

Wash

115o 114o

36o

37o

38o

Nellis Blvd

Charleston Blvd

Tropicana Ave Boulder Hwy

1

2

3

4 Flamingo Wash

Flamingo Wash

Las Vegas WashLas Vegas Wash

Sloan Channel Sloan Channel

Las Vegas WashLas Vegas Wash

Duck CreekDuck Creek

10 11

9

8

6

5

7

Littlefield

Ursine

Glendale

Caliente

Mesquite

Moapa

Overton

Las

Vegas

Overton

Arm

0 20 MILES

0 25 KILOMETERS

0 2 MILES

0 3 KILOMETERS

Base from U.S. Geological Survey digital data, 1:100,000, 1973–89. 

Universal Transverse Mercator Projection, Zone 11. Shaded-relief base from 

1:250,000-scale Digital Elevation Model, sun illumination from northwest at 

30 degrees above horizon.

NEVADA

MAP

AREA

EXPLANATION

Stream-gaging station

Figure 1.   Geographic and hydrologic features, including Las

Vegas Valley, and location of streamflow-gaging stations where

peak discharges were measured in Clark and Lincoln Counties,

southeastern Nevada, December 2004 and January 2005.
U.S. Geological Survey field crews conducted hydraulic 

surveys after the December 2004 and January 2005 floods to 

determine peak discharge at stations where discharge measurements were unobtainable during the high flows. The discharge 

data contribute to understanding flood behavior, enhance efforts 

to minimize destruction caused by floods, and provide understanding for resource planning.

Peak Discharges

Information on peak discharges for selected stations in 

Clark and Lincoln Counties are listed in table 1. The table 

includes site number (see fig. 1), station number, station name, 

December 2004 and January 2005 peak discharges, period of 

record, and the date of the largest historical peak discharge 

recorded prior to December 2004.

Figure 2. Temperature and precipitation data for areas in the

Meadow Valley Wash and Virgin River Basins, January 3–11, 2005.

See Pierce, 2005.

Table 1.  Peak discharges at selected sites in Clark and Lincoln Counties, Nevada.

[Peak-discharge data are reported to differing accuracies depending on method of computation (example: instantaneous-discharge measurement or indirect computation) 

and on assessed data quality. Data were compiled from Bostic and others (1997), Berris and others (2003), and Stockton and others (2004), and from unpublished data 

on file at U.S. Geological Survey offices in Henderson, NV]

Site 

number

(fig. 1)

Streamflow-gaging station Peak 

discharge 

(cubic feet 

per second)

Period

 of record 

through 2005

(water years)

Largest historical peak 

discharge recorded, 

period of record prior to 

December 29, 2004

Station 

number Station name Date 

Peak

(cubic feet

 per second)

Sites in Las Vegas Valley— December 29, 2004

1 09419665 Sloan Channel at Charleston Boulevard near Las Vegas, NV 1,000 1989–2005 09/09/02 1,860

2 094196781 Flamingo Wash at Nellis Boulevard near Las Vegas, NV 2,400 a

1969–87, 

1989–2005 07/08/99 5,600

3 094196783 Las Vegas Wash below Flamingo Wash confluence near Las 

Vegas, NV 10,600 1984, 1987,1997–2005 07/08/99 11,000

4 094196784 Las Vegas Wash at Vegas Valley Drive near Las Vegas, NV 11,700 1984, 

1999–2005 07/08/99 11,000

Sites outside Las Vegas Valley—January 10–11, 2005

5 09414900 Beaver Dam Wash at Beaver Dam, AZ 15,000 1993–2005 02/10/93 5,940

6 09415000 Virgin River at Littlefield, AZ 37,000 1930–2005 12/06/66 b35,200

7 09417500 Meadow Valley Wash at Eagle Canyon near Ursine, NV 950 1963–74,

2003–05 01/25/69 c

700

8 09418500 Meadow Valley Wash near Caliente, NV 8,000

1951–60, 

1963,

1965–83,

1985–2005

03/05/78 c2,400

9 09418700 Meadow Valley Wash near Rox, NV 7,500 1988–94,

2002–05 02/10/93 1,620

10 09417300 California Wash near Moapa, NV 800 1981,

1987–2005 08/10/81 30,600

11 09419000 Muddy River near Glendale, NV 8,600 1950–2005 08/10/81 16,400

a

 Equivalent station operated at Flamingo Wash near mouth at Las Vegas, NV (station 09419678), 1969–87 (Frisbie and others, 1985).

a

 Highest peak with exception of 61,000 cubic feet per second on January 1, 1989, due to failure of Quail Creek Dam.

b

 Discharge is affected by regulation or diversion. 

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.3

0.35

0.4

St. George, UT

Mesquite, NV

Cedar City, UT

PRECIPITATION, IN INCHES

JANUARY 2005

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

St. George, UT

Mesquite, NV

Cedar City, UT

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

TEMPERATURE, IN DEGREES FAHRENHEIT
Figure 3.   View downstream of flow recession in Las Vegas Wash at

Vegas Valley Drive (site 4), December 29, 2004. See figure 1 for site location.

Flood of December 29, 2004

On December 28, 2004, a valleywide storm passed 

through the Las Vegas Valley producing up to 2 inches of 

rain in a 24-hour period. Runoff from this storm flowed 

into most of the main drainage basins in the Las Vegas 

Valley. The peak discharge along the Flamingo Wash 

was 2,400 ft3/s (cubic feet per second) at Nellis Blvd. 

(site 2; fig. 1, table 1). The combined peak discharge for 

the Las Vegas and Flamingo Washes totaled 10,600 ft3/s 

(site 3). Just downstream of the Flamingo Wash confluence, Sloan Channel flows into Las Vegas Wash where 

discharge was measured at 1,000 ft3/s. The combined 

discharge from the Las Vegas Wash and Sloan Channel 

was 11,700 ft3/s at Las Vegas Wash at Vegas Valley Drive 

(site 4; figs. 1 and 3), a new peak of record.

Flood of January 10–11, 2005

The flooding along the Virgin River, Meadow 

Valley Wash, and Muddy River was caused by an early 

warming trend the second week of January 2005. The 

winter storms from late December produced precipitation 

and snowfall in the surrounding mountain ranges. Starting on January 7, 2005, temperatures raised about 15oF 

above temperatures of the previous weeks (fig. 2). This 

temperature rise, along with additional rain, caused rapid 

snowmelt resulting in record flooding along the Virgin 

River and Beaver Dam Wash (sites 5 and 6; fig. 1).

Portions of Mesquite, Overton, Beaver Dam, and 

Caliente were impacted by these floodwaters. Over 75 

homes in Mesquite had to be evacuated, and about 350 

homes in Overton were damaged by the floodwaters. In 

Beaver Dam, AZ, more than 20 homes were destroyed 

along with a large portion of the main bridge on U.S. 

Highway 91 (site 5; figs. 1 and 4). In Caliente, NV, 

about 60 homes, portions of State Route 317, and the 

Union Pacific Railroad tracks were destroyed by floodwaters (Pierce, 2005).

The flow at Beaver Dam Wash at Beaver Dam, AZ, 

reached a record peak discharge of 15,000 ft3/s (site 5; 

fig. 1, table 1). This flow from Beaver Dam Wash, combined with flow from the Virgin River upstream from the 

confluence of Beaver Dam Wash and the Virgin River, 

resulted in a computed peak discharge of 37,000 ft3/s at 

Virgin River near Littlefield, AZ (site 6; figs. 1 and 5).

The Meadow Valley Wash gages also had record 

peak discharges. The discharge at Meadow Valley Wash 

at Eagle Canyon near Ursine (site 7; fig. 1, table 1) 

was 950 ft3/s. The peak continued downstream gaining 

additional flow from tributaries increasing to 8,000 ft3/s 

at Meadow Valley Wash near Caliente (site 8) and 7,500 

ft3/s near Rox (site 9). The flow from the Meadow Valley 

Wash, along with 800 ft3/s from the California Wash near 

Moapa (site 10), combined with the Muddy River near 

Glendale (site 11) to reach a peak discharge of 8,600 

ft3/s.

——Roslyn Ryan

Figure 4.   View of flood damage along Beaver Dam Wash at Beaver Dam,

AZ, January 14, 2005.

Figure 5.   View upstream of flow near the peak discharge (37,000 ft3/s) in

the Virgin River at Littlefield, AZ, January 11, 2005.
References Cited

Berris, S.N., Crompton, E.J., Joyner, J.D., and Ryan, Roslyn, 2003, 

Water resources data, Nevada, water year 2002: U.S. Geological 

Survey Water-Data Report NV-02-1, 600 p. 

Available at URL: http://pubs.usgs.gov/wdr/wdr-nv-02-1.

Bostic, R.E., Kane, R.L., Kipfer, K.M., and Johnson, A.W., 1997: 

Water resources data, Nevada, water year 1996: U.S. Geological 

Survey Water-Data Report NV-96-1, 611 p.

Frisbie, H.R., La Camera, R.J., Riek, M.M., and Wood, D.B., 1985, 

Water resources data, Nevada, water year 1984: U.S. Geological 

Survey Water-Data Report NV-84-1, 247 p.

For further information about this study or other aspects of water resources in Nevada, contact

Public Information Assistant

USGS Nevada Water Science Center

2730 North Deer Run Road

Carson City, NV 89701

Kane, R.L., and Wilson, J.W., 2000, Floods of July and September 

1998 in Clark County, Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Fact 

Sheet 079-00, 4 p.

Manning, Mary, 2005, Nevada eligible for FEMA funds: Las Vegas 

Sun, March 9, 2005.

Pierce, Barry, 2005, River flooding impacts communities along the 

Virgin and Muddy Rivers: National Weather Service, Las Vegas, 

NV, The Desert Sun, SKYWARN Spotter Newsletter, Spring 

2005.

Stockton, E.L., Jones, C.Z., Rowland, R.C., and Medina, R.L., 

2004, Water resources data, Nevada, water year 2003: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Data Report NV-03-1, 679 p. Available at 

URL: http://pubs.usgs.gov/wdr/wdr-nv-03-1.

Telephone: 775-887-7649

Fax: 775-887-7629

Email: GS-W-NV Public Information@usgs.gov

URL: http://nevada.usgs.gov

Las Vegas Wash looking upstream.

A. July 30, 2004 B. December 29, 2004

Las Vegas Wash looking downstream.

A. July 30, 2004 B. December 29, 2004