Published Friday, Dec. 17, 2010 | 5:13 a.m.
Updated Friday, Dec. 17, 2010 | 10:30 a.m.
Sun weather coverage
Snow anniversary
Two years ago today, Dec. 17, 2008, Las Vegas received the most snowfall it had ever recorded in December, the weather service said.
Officially 3.6 inches of snow was recorded at the National Weather Service office in the south part of the valley. Areas around the Las Vegas Strip and Mccarran International Airport received between 2-3 inches of snow.
The hardest hit area was around Henderson where 5-10 inches of snow was reported. Amazingly, areas to the west and north such as Summerlin and North Las Vegas received very light amounts or none at all, the weather service said.
Scattered showers were falling in the Las Vegas Valley this morning and more light rain is expected through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
As of 10 a.m. McCarran International Airport and Henderson Executive Airport had each reported a trace of rain, while 0.1 of an inch had fallen at both North Las Vegas Airport and Nellis Air Force Base, the weather service said.
Periods of light rain and snow will occur across the region today and tonight, forecasters said. Measurable snowfall will be confined to elevations above 6,000 feet with accumulations generally of 1 to 3 inches, they said.
Snow levels will climb above 8,000 feet across much of the region Saturday and remain at those high elevations through the middle of the week, forecasters said. Significant snow accumulations could occur in the high mountains of southern Nevada Sunday and Monday, they said.
While some areas within the Mojave Desert may see substantial rainfall amounts during the period Sunday through Wednesday, any effects from runoff should be minimized by steady light to moderate rainfall rates, forecasters said.
A winter storm warning has been issued through 4 p.m. Sunday for the eastern Sierra slopes, including the cities of Aspendell and Whitney Portal in California.
Periods of heavy snow and strong winds are expected over the crest and along the eastern slopes of the Sierra at elevations above 7,000 feet, the weather service said. One to 2 feet of snow is expected near 8,000 feet and 3 to 6 feet is expected toward the crest, forecasters said.
West winds of 30 to 40 mph can be expected near ridge tops today through Saturday, then speeds increase to between 40 and 70 mph Saturday night and Sunday, they said.
Travel could become difficult or impossible at times on roads above 7,000 feet, such as State Route 168 to Aspendel, they said.
Around the valley just before 10 a.m., temperatures were 47 at McCarran, 44 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 44 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 46 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.
Temperatures at McCarran were to rise today to 54 degrees by noon and reach a high of 55 degrees by 2 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 57 degrees and the record high was 71 degrees, set in 1942.
Temperatures are expected to drop to 51 degrees by 6 p.m., to 49 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 48 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.
Saturday's morning low will be 45 degrees and Saturday's high will climb to 60 degrees, they said.
At 4:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 45 degrees. For today's date, the normal low is 36 degrees and the record low was 20 degrees, set in 1945.
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