More rain could hit later in week

Wednesday, March 23, 2005 | 11:26 a.m.

Dark clouds hanging over the valley finally delivered Tuesday night, and the drenching could be repeated later in the week.

National Weather Service spokesman Brian Fuis said an average of 0.25 of an inch of rain fell across the valley Tuesday night into early this morning.

Among the hardest hit areas was East Tropicana Avenue and Swenson Street just east of the Strip, which recorded about 0.47 of an inch overnight, Fuis said. Other thoroughly soaked areas included the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, which reportedly saw about 0.4 of an inch, he said.

Seemingly spared was the northwest valley, which only saw 0.04 of an inch overnight, Fuis said.

Meanwhile high winds snapped several young trees near Blue Diamond just after midnight, as a string of predicted thunderstorms swept across the valley, Fuis said.

The wet weather also kept Nevada Highway Patrol troopers busy overnight, as at least 17 of the 40 crashes that occurred after 6 p.m. Tuesday were rain-related, Trooper Angie Chavera, an NHP spokeswoman, said.

On a typical weeknight troopers in the valley handle about 20 traffic crashes, she said.

About 5:30 a.m. this morning, a tractor-trailer crashed on northbound I-15 near the D Street exit and the driver blamed it on the wet highway. The driver suffered minor injuries and no other vehicles were involved. Northbound rush hour traffic slowed to a crawl near the wreck as state Transportation Department crews worked to remove debris and cargo that spilled from the overturned truck. All lanes were reopened to traffic about 7 a.m., Chavera said.

That stretch of I-15 has frequently been the site of numerous truck crashes, as drivers often fail to adequately slow near where the highway begins to curve, NHP troopers have said.

Another truck overturned near the same location in February, spilling a shipment of computers near the off-ramp. That crash was also blamed on rain, NHP troopers said.

A high of 65 degrees is forecast for today with mostly cloudy skies and a 30 percent chance of rain. The overnight low should be about 48.

That pattern is expected to hold Thursday and Friday, with highs in the mid-60s and some chance of rain.

"No real warm weather is in sight. It looks like we might get our best days coming up over Easter weekend," weather service meteorologist Charlie Schlott said.

A high of 70 and partly cloudy skies is forecast for Sunday.

Schlott said the rain is part of a weather system moving across the Southwest and bringing the valley down into normal and cooler temperatures. The average high for Tuesday was 64.

Clark County had issued a dust advisory Tuesday. The weather service reported winds from 5 to 15 mph, Schlott said, but he said Tuesday's rain should keep the dust from flying around today.