Why Dangerous Las Vegas Wind Destroys Music Festivals

Over the weekend, organizers of the Lovers & Friends festival, featuring headliners like Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige and more, canceled the music event due to high Las Vegas winds.

Many people on social media expressed their dissatisfaction with the last-minute cancelation. The festival organizers released a statement a day prior to the festival saying, "Following advice from the National Weather Service and in consultation with local public officials, we must make the safest decision for our fans, artists, and staff, and cancel tomorrow’s Lovers & Friends Festival."

The official statement from the festival also said that organizers monitored the weather for several days. But, the National Weather Service issued a "high wind warning" that also said wind gusts could reach more than 60 mph, making it dangerous for festival operations to proceed.

In 2022, the When We Were Young Festival was also canceled due to "high winds," as well. This festival was centered around alternative rock, pop punk and emo rock music.

"On Saturday, merely hours before the first day of the festival, organizers sent an email informing attendees that because of 'dangerous 30 to 40 m.p.h. sustained winds with potential 60 m.p.h. gusts,' the first day of the festival had been canceled," the New York Times reported.

So, the cancelation on Saturday mirrors the "When We Were Young" cancelation just a few years prior. They were both last-minute cancelations and caused a plethora of disappointment from fans.

But the question you may have is "Why is the Las Vegas wind so treacherous and dream crushing when it comes to music festivals?"

I mean, it may not feel like the Las Vegas wind is that powerful or let alone dangerous. However, things can be different once you get higher up in the air.

According to WindCrane, a company that sells advanced remote wind speed systems, "In outdoor events, temporary structures such as tents and stages are especially vulnerable to strong winds." 

Many tents and stage structures are also more susceptible to collapsing due to violent wind gusts or turbulent wind.

"Cyclical forces such as those caused by turbulence can also cause structural collapse due to fatigue failure," WindCrane states.

Along with the reasoning above, wind on the Las Vegas Festival Grounds is especially horrible because of the hotels and tall buildings surrounding the property. It's also essentially an open field, which can create wind tunnels.

WindCrane further reports that buildings cause a downdraught effect, which makes the "surrounding streets and sidewalks windier. In groups, buildings can form 'street canyons' which are roads that have many tall buildings on each side."

So, an open field surrounded by buildings can potentially create the perfect conditions for stage collapses, flyaway tents and other dangerous disasters that are major public safety issues. Not to mention the amount of light fixtures that are strung on stages or propelled high in the sky that can also cause another safety issue.

So, although a last-minute cancelation is a total bummer, organizers often move forward with nixing an event for the greater good of public safety. And it's safe to assume that the promoters rather not cancel and lost the time, effort, deposits and large amounts of money associated with the festival.

For refund inquiries, Lovers & Friends said in their cancelation statement that ticketholders -- who purchased their tickets from Front Gat Tickets -- will receive a refund within 30 days.

Our hearts go out to everyone who flew to Las Vegas -- whether they were festival vendors, working the festival or simply attending -- we hope you enjoyed the city nevertheless!

This year, Las Vegas has seen its most intense monsoon season in over a decade.

According to the National Weather Service, we haven't received over an inch of rainfall since 2015. This year, Las Vegas received 1.28 inches of rainfall. And this abnormal weather has come with some dire consequences.

Recently, two people were found dead in a flood channel after intense rainfall in the region, according to 8 News Now.

Along with this horrible situation, social media lit up with tons of videos that showed water pouring from the ceilings of casinos or gushing through the streets of The Strip.

But the extreme flooding isn't the only weather anomalies that have been plaguing the region. According to National Public Radio, cities such as Phoenix, Las Vegas and Houston have set heat records almost every summer.

Tornados have even been happening in the region. The NWS reports that since 1950, there has been 42 reported tornados in Clark, Lincoln and Mohave Counties.

With all of these floods and weather occurrences happening, it's important to know if your living area is prone to flooding. Click HERE to see if your home or property is located within a flood zone.

There's also a few steps you can take to protect your property if a flash flood warning is sent out.

You also need to be weary of your vehicle's safety when it comes to flash floods. A few seconds can lead to a whole road becoming inundated, which is bad news for your car. Here are some tips to help you navigate flood waters, so you can stay safe and keep your car protected!

Since Vegas is experiencing some funky weather amid this monsoon season, here's a list of the "weirdest" weather events that've happened in Las Vegas!

https://www.fox5vegas.com/video/2022/07/09/dust-devil-hits-pool-goers-luxor-resort-casino/

According to the Las Vegas Sun, a complex thunderstorm developed over northeast Clark County. This caused a massive flood that killed over 700 cattle at a dairy farm.

The snowiest winter in Nevada was in 1948-1949, according to the Las Vegas Sun. Due to an influx of snow, a large airlift operation was initiated to get stranded livestock from northern and eastern Nevada. However, it was too late for 25% of the animals.