Cold, winds to continue

Thursday, April 18, 2002 | 9:50 a.m.

Cold temperatures and windy conditions are expected to continue through Friday as another storm system threatened to bring snow showers to Mount Charleston by the end of the week, the National Weather Service said.

No wind damage was reported on Lake Mead, 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas, where passengers on a houseboat were dumped into the water during a more severe windstorm on Monday, the National Park Service reported.

Although Wednesday's winds did not knock down trees, blow over trucks and boaters or knock out power, as Monday's storm did, gusts reaching 47 mph prompted the Clark County Air Quality Division to issue a health advisory.

Monday's winds gusting to 80 mph raised dust levels in the Las Vegas Valley to hazardous levels, the worst on record in Southern Nevada. On Monday 15 of 17 monitoring stations showed violations of federal standard for dust pollution.

Air Quality Director Christine Robinson said the weather conditions were unusual.

Again on Wednesday air-quality enforcement officers shut down construction sites and called in tanker trucks to water down disturbed land undergoing development.

Two monitoring stations showed violations.

Sensitive people, including children and the elderly, were advised to stay inside and avoid strenuous activities.

After midnight the winds shifted from the southwest and blew from the northwest between 15 mph and 25 mph.

Winds in the Las Vegas Valley are expected to continue at 10 mph to 20 mph through Friday, meteorologist Joe Nemeth said.

A mass of cold air will keep Las Vegas at a chilly 70 degrees for a high, 25 degrees cooler than Sunday's record-tying 95 degree temperature.

The weather service forecast said there is a chance of snow at Mount Charleston on Friday.