High winds blow dust across valley

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

A wind advisory, noting the possibility of gusts up to 45 mph, was issued for the Las Vegas Valley until 4 p.m. today and for Lake Mead until 9 p.m.

An official top wind speed of 43 mph was measured at McCarran International Airport shortly before 2:30 a.m., said Don Maker a hydro-meteorological technician for the local office of the National Weather Service.

He noted that other parts of the valley had unofficial top wind speeds around 30 mph, while Lake Mead sites recorded these speeds: Cottonwood (28 mph), Echo Bay (29 mph) and Hemenway Launch (30 mph).

"There is expected to be a lot of blowing dust, so we have issued cautions that there could be reduced visibility," Maker said. "Low-weight and high-profile vehicles are warned that there could be sudden wind bursts. And boaters should remain off the open waters today."

There were no reports of serious damage caused by the winds overnight, officials said.

Meanwhile, in Southern California, wind advisories were issued, with gusts expected to reach 60 mph in some areas.

Winds of 30 to 40 mph were forecast through the mountain passes and canyons in Los Angeles County, with gusts of more than 60 mph expected along Interstate 5, the weather service said.

Winds between 25 and 35 mph were predicted for the valleys in Los Angeles County, with local gusts of more than 50 mph.

The high winds were expected to gradually diminish by this afternoon, the weather service said.

Maker said the winds, under mostly clear skies with no threat of an accompanying storm, were caused by the difference in pressure between a high pressure system to the north and a low pressure system to the south.

Despite the northerly winds, temperatures are not all that cold because there is not a lot of cold air associated with this particular system, Maker said.

On Monday, while Las Vegas was storm-free, hail pelted the San Fernando Valley as a winter storm moved through Southern California, ushering in winds, rain and lightning.

The storm out of the northwest caught residents there by surprise as it quickly blackened skies. Gusty winds kicked dirt and debris into the air.

"I got soaked. I had to go on the roof and change our drains because the hail was clogging up the drains, and we had water leaking into the computer room," said Genaro Calvadillas at Hamer Toyota.

"It started thundering, and it just came down. Then it totally, totally stopped -- like someone shut off a faucet."

Calvadillas said the ground was coated with up to 1 1/2 inches of hail. His cars avoided damage.