Gusts up to 64 mph hit valley

Thursday, May 25, 2000 | 11:01 a.m.

Thunderclouds delivered lightning and a trace of rain to Southern Nevada's mountains Wednesday while strong wind gusts toppled trees, cut off electricity and snarled traffic at the height of rush hour in Las Vegas.

Larry Jensen, the meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service in Las Vegas, reported signs and trees down at Las Vegas Boulevard South and Warm Springs Road, south of the Strip resorts.

For about an hour, between 5 and 6 p.m., Nevada Power Co. crews responded to 5,000 customers who lost electricity to run air conditioners or cook dinner, utility spokeswoman Sonya Headen said late Wednesday.

Residential customers in the northwest and southwest portions were hit the hardest, Headen said.

Major electrical customers affected by the wind storm included the Desert Inn hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip and the San Remo hotel just off the Strip.

The power at both hotels was restored in 45 minutes, Headen said.

One of the worst outages occurred 15 miles southwest of Las Vegas, where a power pole, several transformers and power lines crashed along Interstate 15, affecting the communities of Stateline, Jean and Goodsprings. No one was injured, Headen said.

The power was out until 4 a.m. at the James Hardy Gypsum Plant, Buffalo Bill's, Gold Strike, Whiskey Pete's and Primm Valley hotels, Headen said.

Winds gusting to 64 mph whipped up dust across the Las Vegas Valley, blotting out views of the Stratosphere hotel-casino's tower, the tallest structure in Las Vegas.

Some shoppers at the Meadows Mall thought a tornado struck the shopping center, but National Weather Service spokesman Brian Fuis said it was simply a strong gust of wind.

Known as a microburst, the winds rushing to the ground from a passing thunderstorm can feel like a tornado, Fuis said.

The storms were created by the unseasonable heat in Las Vegas that broke record highs Monday and Tuesday.

The high for Wednesday was 99 degrees, still above the normal 90-degree average for May.

By the weekend the temperature is expected to climb back into the 100s, the National Weather Service predicted.

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