Southern Nevada welcomes rainfall, snow

Eric Leake

Thursday, Oct. 28, 2004 | 11:09 a.m.

Just because it rained Wednesday and last week, don't let people tell you the drought is over.

"Oh, this does not -- definitely does not -- end the drought," said National Weather Service Meteorologist Larry Jensen.

"It will take a lot more than two weeks of rain," he said. "You're talking two to three years time."

Though not ending the drought, the valley is on track to at least beat the normal yearly rainfall.

Roughly 3.95 inches had fallen in Las Vegas since the start of the year, about 0.30 inches more than normal, according to the weather service.

An additional 0.2 to 0.4 inches had been been dropped as of this morning, with most on the eastern side of the valley.

Trace amounts of rain were reported in the valley overnight, according to the weather service.

The Clark County Regional Flood Control District had no reports of flooding from the rain, spokeswoman Betty Hollister said this morning. "It was a pretty gentle rain, pretty steady," she said. "Most of it soaked into the ground."

The storm dumped as much as 4 inches on areas around Kingman, Ariz., where there was a flood warning. And at least 11 inches of snow fell at Mount Charleston on Wednesday.

"That's a good snow amount," Jensen said, though 11 inches did not set any records. "It was actually a fairly potent storm."

The storm was more than Laura DeSilva, working in reservations at the Mount Charleston Lodge, expected.

"Actually we have a lot of snow," DeSilva said. "I didn't check the forecast so I guess I'm pretty surprised."

The snow did not keep people away, she said, as visitors often travel to the lodge to see the mountain blanketed with snow.

DeSilva advised anybody traveling to the mountain to have the required snow chains or four-wheel-drive.

The storm did not cause too many problems lower in the valley except an increase in minor traffic accidents, Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Angie Chavera said.

The weather was part of a storm system originating over the Pacific Ocean. It should pass the state by the end of today, according to the weather service, which forecasts a slight chance of isolated thunderstorms today before a dry three-day weekend.

Even after the system passes, its effects will linger in the valley, Jensen said.