Storm system brings rare snowfall

Monday, Dec. 7, 1998 | 8:37 a.m.

Come on!

Southern Nevada residents and tourists awoke Sunday to the rare sight of snow in this gambling capital.

"The high winds created blizzard-like conditions, even if it was for only a brief period," Scott Cordero, a spokesman for the National Weather Service, said Sunday night.

The Weather Service reported an inch of snow at McCarran International Airport on Sunday morning. Other areas of the Las Vegas Valley, including Henderson and North Las Vegas, reported 2 inches.

With the temperature dropping to an unseasonably cold 32 degrees, and winds gusting to 41 miles per hour, the chill index dropped to 4 degrees shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday.

The blowing snow caused McCarran International Airport to halt takeoffs and landings from 8:30 a.m. to 8:50 a.m., according to spokeswoman Cynthia Anderson. She said only one flight was affected.

The last measurable snowfall in Las Vegas was three-quarters of an inch on Feb. 26, 1996.

Residents unaccustomed to the white stuff found themselves cleaning off windshields, making snowmen and engaging in snowball fights.

Surprised tourists watched the white stuff collect briefly on the Las Vegas Strip, then quickly disappear.