Southern Nevada hit by winter storm

Mary Manning and Eric Leake

Monday, Nov. 22, 2004 | 11:05 a.m.

A powerful winter storm swept through Southern Nevada on Sunday, leaving more than two feet of snow on Mount Charleston, slick roads in the Las Vegas Valley and flight delays at McCarran International Airport.

Heavy snow forced authorities to close Interstate 15 southbound through Cajon Pass for about five hours in the morning, backing traffic up to Primm at the Nevada-California state line, but no major weather-related accidents or serious injuries were reported.

Officials closed the intersection of Cheyenne Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard this morning after several cars stalled in standing water there, Jay Wittwer, acting battalion chief for the North Las Vegas Fire Department, said. The fire department pulled four people out of their cars this morning after they became stuck in the two to three feet of water pooled in the intersection.

The water wasn't moving and didn't pose a danger, Wittmer said.

"No one was really that at risk other than just getting really wet," Wittmer said. "But the public is encouraged to stay out of that intersection."

The Nevada Highway Patrol closed State Route 160, the road leading from Las Vegas to Pahrump, after a two-vehicle accident occurred about 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. A Clark County Fire Department heavy rescue unit responded and two people with injuries were taken to a local hospital. The road was open again this morning but snow tires or chains are required.

A steady rain fell in the valley throughout Sunday and early this morning, causing dozens of accidents, including one involving a red pickup truck and a silver Mercury Marquis that sent the auto into the El Cortez casino's ice cream shop at Fremont and Sixth streets at 6 p.m.

Metro Police officer Anthony Bricker said the Mercury appeared to have run the red light at the intersection when it was struck by a Nissan pickup truck traveling south on Fremont.

Bricker said nobody was seriously injured, although the Mercury driver was taken to a hospital. The officer was not sure whether or not the rain-slicked roads had contributed to the accident.

A Germantown, Wis., couple, Judy and George, who asked that their last name be withheld, were playing quarter slot machines next to the ice cream shop when the car crashed into the building.

"I have never heard anything like that," George said.

"A piece of glass flew all the way over here. About 10 minutes earlier we were sitting at that machine over there," he said. "I could have been hit."

The ice cream shop's wall, open to the elements, was cordoned off with yellow police tape.

"It was like a roar," Judy said. "When we turned around and looked the car was in there."

The couple said they were having poor luck playing the slots.

"It's not bad enough we're losing, but we almost got hit by a car, too," Judy said.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the Spring Mountains, west of Las Vegas, above 5,000 feet through 4 a.m. today. More than two feet of fresh snow had accumulated on Mount Charleston by this morning, and officials at the ski lodge measured 28 inches.

Red Rock Canyon visitors reported snow flurries falling Sunday morning.

Sunday's daytime temperature in Las Vegas reached 46 degrees.

"Pretty cool," weather service meteorologist Steve Downs said. Today's high temperature is expected to reach 51 degrees.

The low overnight was 40 degrees.

The rainfall total at McCarran from Sunday through this morning by midnight was 1.03 of an inch, the weather service said. The North Las Vegas Fire Station received 1.30 inches of rain.

According to rain gauges monitored by the Regional Flood Control District, 1.09 inches of rain fell on South Eastern Avenue and Boulder City received another 1.51 inches.

The weather system responsible for the cold wave began in British Columbia and swept through Nevada before reaching California. The rare storm is called an "inside slider" because it swept through Nevada and California from the northeast instead of from the Pacific Ocean to the west. The rain is expected to taper off this afternoon, but temperatures will remain in the 50s Tuesday and Wednesday, meteorologist Charlie Schlott said.

Up to a total of 89 flights at McCarran were delayed Sunday because of the stormy conditions.

"Due to weather in Las Vegas and other areas, McCarran is having some delays," Clark County Aviation Department spokeswoman Debbie Millet said.

The schedule board showed most flights coming in on time this morning.

Snow fell all day at the Mount Charleston Lodge where patrons ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in a warm respite from skiing, snowboarding or making snowballs, said Julie Ploeger, lodge office manager.

"It's like you're cut off from the world," Ploeger said of reduced visibility on the winding roads in the Spring Mountains.

Plenty of snow made the opening weekend at the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort "awesome," said general manager Brian Strait.

Awesome, he said, "in bold, capitalized, with three exclamation points behind it. It was that great."

The Lee Canyon resort opened one chair lift Friday, a second Saturday and the third is expected to open this week in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Strait said the resort opened with a 30-inch snow base. Ten more inches fell Saturday night and 28 inches fell Sunday through this morning.

Turnout for the opening weekend at the resort was exceptional and season ticket sales are at "unprecedented levels."

The abundance of snow and new investments at the resort attribute to what Strait expects to be an exceptional season.

Cox Communications customers throughout the valley lost services at about 5:36 a.m. today after a circuit lock-out knocked out power in the area surrounding the Cox building on Martin Luther King Boulevard, Steve Schorr, vice president of public and government affairs, said.

The cable company's back-up generators came on within 10 minutes allowing Cox to restore services to most of its customers, Schorr said. Some areas, such as in the northwest, took up to an hour to restore services.