Tuesday, March 2, 2004 | 10:49 a.m.
Rain soaked the valley this morning, more than doubling commuter traffic accidents along local highways, while snow blanketed the mountains and foothills.
But, cheer up, the weatherman says, because early spring-like temperatures under sunny skies are expected for this weekend.
A snow advisory for the Sheep Range, Spring Mountains and Red Rock Canyon was to remain in effect until 6 p.m. today, the National Weather Service said, noting that five to nine inches of snow is expected above 4,500 feet.
More than a foot of snow fell on Mount Charleston overnight, according to reports from the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort, Mount Charleston Lodge and U.S. Forest Service.
Also, the U.S. Forest Service at the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area this morning extended its extreme avalanche warning for Kyle and Lee Canyons through March 7.
Victoria Shaffer, forest service spokeswoman, said the extension of the original warning issued Feb. 23 includes the back country areas but not the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort. Still, she said the resort has warned skiers to remain within set boundaries. Four skiers were caught in two avalanches on Mount Charleston last week but survived.
The storm that rolled into town overnight from the Northwest, pulling in subtropical moisture around Southern California, is not expected to let up until tonight, weather officials said.
"The satellite shows a pretty good glob of clouds moving in from Arizona and California," said Don Maker, spokesman for the National Weather Service in Las Vegas. "We are looking at things settling down and tapering off tonight when the chance of rain will be about 20 percent.
"It should be partly cloudy through midweek with temperatures reaching 70 by Sunday."
Between midnight and 9:45 a.m. today, 0.17 of an inch of rain fell at the official measuring site at McCarran International Airport, bringing Southern Nevada's year-to-date official rainfall to 1.7 inches, 0.29 of an inch above normal. Still, rainfall remains significantly behind last year's total which was 2.22 inches as of March 2, the weather service said.
Commuters, however, found conditions on roadways this morning wet enough, with 40 accidents on the highways between 7 p.m. Monday and 9:45 a.m. today, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Angie Wolff said.
"We usually get double the number of accidents during bad weather, and today is no different," Wolff said, noting that during a normal Monday night to early Tuesday morning the NHP handles 10 to 15 accidents.
"It's a busy morning. Dispatch says the (accident) calls are coming in."
Wolff said that statistically -- and for some unknown reason -- Tuesdays and Wednesdays, under normal driving conditions, are the busiest days for accidents for the Highway Patrol.
She said during a weekend storm last month extra troopers were called into duty. That is not expected today, Wolff said, because, given that Tuesday statistically is a busy accident day, the NHP normally schedules a higher number of troopers on the roads than on other days.
While rain washed over valley roads, snowflakes piled up in the foothills and on Mount Charleston. By early this morning, four to six inches was recorded near Red Rock Canyon, the weather service said.
Juana Bunyea, the nightshift bartender at the Mount Charleston Lodge near the peak of Mount Charleston, estimated about 12 to 15 inches of snow had fallen overnight.
"The snow started about 10 a.m. Monday and was on and off throughout the day," Bunyea said shortly before getting off at 8 a.m. for her long drive down the mountain to Las Vegas, where she has been a resident since 1979.
"But the snow has been coming down all night long and steady. We did a pretty good business at the bar and a few people stayed overnight in the cabins. For Saturday, we are pretty full (with reservations) already."
Bunyea said road conditions appeared to be OK as the snow plows were out this morning. However, she said, snow tires and chains are required. She also warned that fog appeared headed into the area and that the mountain temperature this morning was 15 degrees.
The weather service said a 70 percent chance of rain was projected through this afternoon under mostly cloudy skies with highs around 50 degrees. Tonight, partly cloudy skies, showers and lows in the low 40s is projected.
For Wednesday and Thursday, partly cloudy skies are predicted, with temperatures in the upper 50s Wednesday and lower 60s Thursday. Winds out of the north at 10 to 15 mph also are expected both days.
Partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 60s Friday are expected to give way to mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60s on Saturday and sunny skies with temperatures in the low 70s Sunday and Monday, the weather service said.
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