Cold, wet storm leaves LV Valley for the Rockies

Friday, Nov. 30, 2001 | 9:55 a.m.

A hit-and-run storm slammed into Southern Nevada Thursday, dusting the Spring Mountains with snow in time for ski season and spraying drizzle on the Las Vegas Valley, though no measurable amount of rain could be recorded.

By nightfall the snow had stopped in the Mount Charleston area, and the storm moved into the Rocky Mountains Thursday night.

Wintery temperatures gripped the Las Vegas Valley this week, keeping highs in the mid 40s to mid 50s.

Up to 5 inches of new snow fell at Mount Charleston, a small town where residents live throughout the year, the National Weather Service reported.

Another 6 inches of fresh snow was recorded at the Lee Canyon ski area, almost assuring the start of ski season Saturday, Weather Service meteorologist Jim Harrison said.

The Nevada Department of Transportation warned motorists to heed message boards posted on roads leading into the Spring Mountains, which advise whether chains or 4-wheel drive vehicles are required to travel in mountain areas higher than 6,000 feet, NDOT spokesman Bob McKenzie said.

Although Wednesday night's low of 38 in Las Vegas was nowhere near the 19-degree record set in 1938, windy conditions and the snow in the surrounding mountains made it feel colder in the valley, Harrison said.

The next weather system should dive south from the northern Pacific Ocean Sunday. There is a similar chance of mountain snows and a trace of rain in the valley Sunday night and Monday morning.

Another storm could reach Southern Nevada by Wednesday, Harrison said.

"That's pretty far away, though, so we'll have to wait and see," he said.