Yet another rainy day here, it's been coming down all week. The forecast here in Las Vegas is 100% rain today and tonight, but they don't predict how much in inches like they do snow. So far this week we have gotten more than 3/4 of an inch in my part of town. The whole of last year we had only 2 1/2 inches (normal is 4.21 inches) of rainfall, including that 1 inch snow storm that closed the airport. So this is a big deal around here.

I say careful wishes, because in wishing for rain we don't want it to go to street flooding, but so far, with a few localized exceptions, things seem to be okay.

There are huge water diversion projects around Las Vegas with catch basins to trap any big flash flood runoff and I would really like to see one of them in action, with cascades of muddy water gushing between the big concrete structures. I want to see a flash flood out in the middle of nowhere sometime, too, but don't want to get washed away.

This is a big catch basin not far from our house.



Here is Lake Mead where all the water will end up.



It has been very low the last several years, as evidenced by the white bathtub ring around the edges. It's much lower now than when that photo was taken back in 2003, and is on track to go below 1965 levels. Any lower and federal water restrictions will be triggered.

The water authority claims it is the homeowners who use the most water, and the golf courses, big fountains, and thousands of hotel rooms are the least of the problem. The hotels have policies that allow guests to elect to re-use their own towels and sheets during their stay, but I still think those fountains are losing a lot of water when it's 112 degrees F in July. Meanwhile, when we wash our hands at home we catch the water in basins to use on the lawn, and right now there are 5-gallon buckets outside catching the rain to save for a sunny day.

Of course, it's not hot today, and it's been raining most of this week, and all the runoff is rushing towards Lake Mead. I can hear the rain drops yelling: "Here we are to save the day!"

And the desert flowers are going to bloom this spring. We will drive over the Death Valley in March to see them. Looking over the distance these individual plants merge to paint a wash of color over the desert.