Las Vegas Valley braces for ill wind

Wednesday, March 26, 2003 | 11:41 a.m.

Officials are warning that the Las Vegas Valley will get a blast of spring wind starting this afternoon that could cause health problems and traffic accidents.

Through Thursday morning, the area will be be buffeted by sustained winds of up to 35 mph and gusts of up to 45 mph, meteorologists and Clark County Air Quality officials say.

"We're not talking roof-ripping winds, but people do need to secure any loose items because garbage cans and the lighter types of lawn furniture, for example, will get tossed around by this wind," Andrew Gorelow, National Weather Service meterologist, said this morning.

The more dangerous aspects of the wind, however, are the health and driving hazards it may pose, Gorelow said.

The weather is expected to exacerbate problems for allergy sufferers. Pollen counts from mulberry trees and other sources are high right now, county health officials announced earlier this week.

And Clark County Air Quality officials have issued a health advisory because dust smaller than the diameter of a human hair can be inhaled deep into the lungs and aggravates respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma.

"Children, seniors and people with chronic respiratory problems are urged to stay indoors; air quality officials also advise all residents to limit outdoor exercise," the health advisory notes.

Gorelow said it's good advice.

"With all our construction and desert areas, there will be a lot of dust and sand blowing around, and visibility could drop to near zero in certain dusty areas -- out near the airport for example," so drivers need to beware of the visibility problems as well as potential for the gusts to blow their vehicles around on the road, particularly high profile vehicles, he said.

The winds are being caused by a storm system moving south from the Gulf of Alaska into the northwest and diving south along the California coast, weather service meteorologist Don Maker said.

Ahead of the storm front, the valley could see highs into the the low 80s today. Once the winds blow through, however, highs will stay near 70 degrees on Thursday and only reach the upper 60s on Friday, Maker said.

Lows will dive to the mid-50s on Wednesday night and stay in the upper 40s on Thursday night, he said.

The front is not expected to bring any rain to the area, however.

"It looks like the precipitation will stay north of us," Gorelow said.