Rain moving in to Las Vegas for holiday week

By Mary Manning

Monday, Nov. 24, 2008 | 1:09 p.m.

Valley rains and snow-capped peaks in Southern Nevada's mountains are arriving Tuesday through Wednesday before a northern flow of air keeps temperatures cool for Thanksgiving Day and beyond.

The storm system arriving overnight Tuesday into Wednesday brings the best chance for rain and even thunderstorms into the Las Vegas Valley, the National Weather Service said.

Driving on Wednesday in rain showers could bring slick streets from layers of oil and a dusting of snow in the Spring Mountains west of Las Vegas and the Sheep Mountains north of Las Vegas, the weather service said.

Tonight's temperature will drop to around 49 degrees as clouds begin to increase, the weather service said.

Tuesday's forecast calls for a slight chance of showers, with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 70 degrees.

Tuesday night brings a 40 percent chance of showers with a low reaching around 52 degrees before the best chance of rain coming on Wednesday.

Wednesday, typically the busiest travel day of the Thanksgiving weekend, brings a 60 percent chance of rain and a chance of thunderstorms in the valley after 10 a.m.

After a high near 61 degrees, Wednesday night's low is expected to reach 49 degrees with a chance of rain.

Although there will be some clouds on Thursday, Thanksgiving day, drier air flowing into the valley from the north should begin to clear the skies and keep lows in the mid to upper 40s, the weather service said.

For the weekend daytime temperatures should reach the low to mid 60s with lows in the mid to high 40s with breezy conditions throughout the weekend, the weather service said.