More rain expected through rest of the day

Heather Rawlyk

Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2004 | 9:29 a.m.

Las Vegas Valley residents may need to dust off their umbrellas today, the National Weather Service said.

McCarran International Airport measured only three-hundredths of an inch of rain overnight, but light showers were predicted through most of the day Tuesday, meteorologist Donald Maker said.

"It's going to be somewhat continuous once it gets started," Maker said. "But it will only last through Tuesday. It will be winding down by tonight."

Meanwhile, anyone planning to visit Mount Charleston had better put on the tire chains and be prepared for more than a foot of snow, Maker said.

Employees at the Mount Charleston Lodge reported 8 to 10 inches of snow with flakes still coming down at 7 this morning. Snowfall began at 6 p.m. Monday, they said, and the Nevada Department of Transportation had been plowing the roads all night.

Maker expected Mount Charleston to get an additional 4 inches today. This was the first major snowfall of the year, according to the National Weather Service's records.

The minuscule rainfall received Monday night puts the Las Vegas Valley on par with the rainfall received by this time last year, more than half an inch less than pre-drought records.

No precipitation is predicted for Wednesday or the rest of the week, Maker said.

Staff writer

Christina Littlefield contributed to this story.

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