Strong winds usher in smoke from wildfire

By Mary Manning

Published Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009 | 11:53 a.m.

Updated Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009 | 7:40 p.m.

A wildfire burning brush and threatening houses in Southern California brought smoke into the Las Vegas Valley on gusty southwest winds late this afternoon.

The Winchester fire in Riverside County, Calif., grew to 3,891 acres by 6 p.m., according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The wildfire has the potential to grow to 10,000 acres. Winchester is between Sun City and Hemet and mandatory evacuations were underway.

The National Weather Service said a high wind warning has been extended until 9 p.m. Thursday as dust continues to blow across the Las Vegas Valley.

An unusual weather system dropping south from the Pacific Northwest is cooling things off in Southern Nevada as if this was mid-September, the weather service said.

Thursday's winds will diminish overnight, but gusts created havoc for some people outdoors.

Six members of a Bakersfield, Calif., family had to be rescued from Lake Mead after their boat became swamped and sank. One woman in her 60s was injured, but all wore life jackets, which saved their lives, the National Park Service said.

In Cottonwood Cove on Lake Mead the weather service reported a roof blew off a mobile home and a trailer was blown off its foundation as winds gusted to 40 mph.

The biggest wind gust at 55 mph occurred about 5:34 a.m. Thursday in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area. A 52 mph gust was recorded at 8:34 a.m. Winds blew between 41 and 48 mph in the area the rest of the day.

Kyle Canyon, a rugged area in the Spring Mountains with about 400 residents, recorded a 53 mph gust at 12:16 p.m., followed by a 51 mph gust at 5:16 p.m. Winds between 39 mph and 48 mph blew throughout the afternoon.

At McCarran International Airport, the official station for measuring Las Vegas weather, and at Henderson Executive Airport, the highest wind gust recorded Thursday was 38 mph at 2:56 p.m. an earlier gust was clocked at 35 mph at 1:56 p.m.

North Las Vegas Airport recorded a 39 mph gust at 12:53 p.m. and another 32 mph gust at 4:53 p.m.

Overnight winds should fade to between 11 and 14 mph with a low of 74 degrees, the weather service said.

Friday's high is expected to reach 90 degrees with winds at 6 to 10 mph. The low is expected to be 72 degrees with winds at 7 to 10 mph.

Saturday's high of 95 degrees will arrive under sunny skies and north to northwest winds at 7 mph. The low is forecast at 75 degrees.

Then Sunday, summer returns with 102 degrees, about the average temperature for this time of year, with continuing sunny skies.