Las Vegas Sun

February 10, 2012

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Las Vegas records first rainfall of the year

Winter storm warning issued for Spring Mountains, Sheep Range

Image

Steve Marcus

Jordan Banks, 3, shields himself from the rain after marching with his father, a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in downtown Las Vegas Monday, Jan. 18, 2010.

By (contact)

Published Monday, Jan. 18, 2010 | 6:03 a.m.

Updated Monday, Jan. 18, 2010 | 4:37 p.m.

Rain falls in Las Vegas

Members of the Sedway Middle School marching band are reflected in a rain puddle as they march in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in downtown Las Vegas Monday, Jan. 18, 2010. Launch slideshow »

Snow Day on Mount Charleston

Austin Moncrief reacts to being hit with a snowball while taking advantage of the Martin Luther King holiday to play with friends in the snow in Lee Canyon Monday, January 18, 2010. Launch slideshow »

Las Vegas got its first measureable amount of rain for the new year as the initial wave in a series of storms moved across the area today.

The storms are expected to bring "significant" amounts of rain to the valley and snow in the mountains through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

As of 4 p.m., .02 of an inch of rain had been recorded at McCarran International Airport and .04 of an inch at North Las Vegas Airport, Henderson Executive Airport and Nellis Air Force Base. Weather service forecasters say the heaviest precipitation will likely be tonight through early Tuesday morning, with most areas in the valley getting around a half inch of rain.

During 2009, McCarran received only 1.59 inches total, and this week's storms could reached or exceed that amount, forecasters said. Total rainfall amounts of one to three inches are possible this week in the valley and from one to three feet of snow in elevations above 6,000 feet, forecasters said.

The mountains around the Las Vegas Valley will be obscured this afternoon and tonight from clouds and heavy snowfall, they said.

The Spring Mountains and the Sheep Range are in a winter storm warning through 4 a.m. Tuesday. Light snow is expected at times through this afternoon, ,forecasters said. Dense fog was reported this afternoon in the Mount Charleston area.

The snow is expected to become steadier and heavier this evening before tapering off after midnight, forecasters said. Although some light snow showers are possible Tuesday in the late morning and afternoon, the next round of significant snow will not occur until Tuesday evening into Tuesday night, forecasters said.

From 12 to 18 inches of snow will be possible by Tuesday morning in elevations above 7,000 feet, with 5 to 10 inches in elevations between 6,000 and 7,000 feet, forecasters said. An additional 7 to 11 inches of new snow above 7,000 feet will be possible Tuesday evening to Tuesday night, with 4 to 7 inches between 6,000 and 7,000 feet then, forecasters said.

Winds in the mountains will be from the south to southwest from 20 to 30 mph, with gusts to around 40 mph, especially in more exposed areas, they said. Locally gusty winds in higher elevations could reach 50 mph at times, forecasters said.

The heavy snow accumulations will make traveling difficult, if not impossible on area roads, forecasters said. Gusty winds could create near whiteout conditions at times. Blowing and drifting of snow is also possible, they said. Areas of fog have formed and could reduce visibility, forecasters said.

Forecasters urge motorists not to travel in the mountains unless there is an emergency. And If they do need to travel they should keep an extra flashlight, food and water in their vehicle in case they break down, the weather service said.

Rain in the valley and snow in the mountains is also likely Wednesday through Thursday night, the weather service said.

Winds for the valley will be from the south to southeast today between 7 and 13 mph, they said.

This morning's low temperature was 50 degrees at McCarran. The normal low for today's date is 37 degrees and the record low is 20 degrees, set in 1949.

Around the valley, temperatures just before 4 p.m. were 53 degrees at McCarran, 52 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base, 51 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport and 51 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport. The normal high for today's date is 57 degrees and the record high is 72 degrees, set in 1971.

Tonight's temperatures will drop to 52 degrees by 6 p.m., to 50 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 48 degrees by midnight, the weather service said.

Tuesday's morning low will be 45 degrees and Tuesday's high will be 61, with mostly cloudy skies, forecasters said.

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