Steady rain makes for hazardous highways

Monday, Feb. 26, 2001 | 11:27 a.m.

A winter storm dumped rain and snow on Southern Nevada today, causing two separate accidents on Interstate 15 that injured seven people, three of them critically.

The rain, which is expected to continue at least through today, started falling in the valley about 5 p.m. Sunday and by 8:30 a.m. 11 people, who were injured in motor vehicle accidents across the area, had been taken to University Medical Center, hospital spokesman Rick Plummer.

With 0.61 inch of rain measured at McCarran International Airport, morning commuters crawled along both I-15 and U.S. 95 as numerous accidents kept both Metro Police and the Nevada Highway Patrol busy.

NHP responded to 28 accidents since midnight, trooper Alan Davidson said today. Metro Police reported numerous fender benders in the urban areas.

About 10 p.m. Sunday four males, ages 16, 17 and 14 were critically injured near Overton, about 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas. Three of the teens were admitted to University Medical Center. A fourth was treated and released. No further information was available this morning.

A tractor-trailer spilled its load of pipe on northbound I-15 near Sahara Avenue today about 5 a.m. and disrupted traffic in both directions on the interstate until after 9 a.m. Three people involved in the accident complained of neck pains, but no one was admitted to area hospitals, Davidson said.

A 61-year-old man was taken to UMC from the Sahara accident and was still under evaluation.

The steady rain falling in the Las Vegas Valley could break the record of 1.30 inches recorded on Feb. 26, 1993, meteorologist Andy Gorelow said.

Two low pressure systems merged, one off Southern California's coast and the other over Southern Nevada, dragging moisture from the Pacific Ocean into the southwestern deserts, Gorelow explained. The storm system is not moving rapidly and the valley could continue to see rain showers with mountain snows through Wednesday.

Western Avenue at Oakey Boulevard had standing water in the intersection by 7:30 a.m. The Charleston Underpass remained open, and weather forecasters said the slow, steady rain should not cause widespread flooding as Las Vegas summer thunderstorms do.

Between 12 and 18 inches of fresh snow was reported in the Lee and Kyle Canyon ski areas of the Spring Mountains west of Las Vegas, meteorologist Charlie Schlott said.

Snow was expected above 5,000 feet through Wednesday in the mountains, Schlott said.

Valley temperatures struggled Sunday and today to reach 50 degrees for a high.

The wintry conditions are expected to remain in Southern Nevada until the end of the week.

Another winter storm forming over the Pacific Ocean could slam into Northern California by Saturday, but it is too soon to predict what will happen in the southwest, Schlott said.