Trace of rain ends streak of dry days at 100

Wednesday, July 3, 2002 | 11:20 a.m.

A trace of rain this morning will not be enough to break Southern Nevada's dry spell, but it is enough to keep this summer out of the record books.

National Weather Service rain gauges recorded one-one hundredth of an inch at its office on the southwest side of town. Gauges at McCarran International Airport recorded a trace about 6:30 this morning, meaning less than one-five hundredth of an inch.

Another spattering of rain about 10 a.m. didn't change that.

"Two traces still equals a trace," said meteorologist Larry Jensen of the National Weather Service. "A hundred traces still equals a trace."

This means that the number of consecutive dry days will stand at 100 this summer, one day short of a record.

But that does not mean the state is out of the woods yet, Jensen said. In fact, he said, the moisture is not enough to make any real difference in this particularly dry summer.

"The only thing it meant is that it ruined a perfectly good record," he said.

The record number of dry days is 101, said chief forecaster Kim Runk of the National Weather Service.

That record of dry days was set twice, in 1944 and 1995.

The dry weather has increased the fire hazard, local and federal officials have said, who note that lightning is one common cause of wildfire.

The majority of rain that fell this morning was what is known as virga, meaning precipitation that does not hit the ground, Jensen said. Usually lightning associated with such storms heighten the risk of fire, he said.

"As long as precipitation is not hitting the ground, we are going to be at increased risk," he said.

This morning's storm brought streaks of lightning, but no fires were reported, Clark County Fire Department spokesman Bob Leinbach said.

Normal July weather patterns bring the threat of heavy thunderstorms -- known as the Southwest monsoon.

While the Weather Service rain gauges did not record any data for the area, many Las Vegans noticed seeing rain on the north side of town. Tim Sutko, senior hydrologist with the Clark County Flood Control District, said that gauges occasionally miss sudden showers.

However, he said that, no matter what the final numbers, it will mean very little for the state's overall rainfall.

"To say it rained is an exaggeration," Sutko said.

A low pressure system will push east today from Southern California, crossing Southern Nevada and bringing a slight threat of afternoon thunderstorms.

But even a heavy downpour would not break the drought's grip in Las Vegas, Weather Service officials said. Since Jan. 1 the valley has had one-tenth of an inch of rain. Normally by July the area has had more than 2 inches of rainfall.