Calmer weather on tap after damaging winds sweep valley

By Brian Nordli

Published Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013 | 9:11 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013 | 10:37 a.m.

Calmer winds are expected today, a day after gusts howled through the Las Vegas Valley causing scattered power outages, toppling trees and sending Halloween decorations tumbling through streets.

Gusts on Monday ranged from 30 mph to nearly 60 mph in parts of the Las Vegas Valley, National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Metzger said. The wind was more severe in the mountains, where it reached 70 mph in Kyle Canyon.

The wind was expected to remain calm today, remaining in the 10 mph range with temperature in the low 60s, Metzger said.

Monday’s gusts pushed tree branches into power lines, causing scattered outages throughout the valley, including one at Flamingo and Pecos roads that left more than 1,000 NV Energy customers without power.

A second outage early Monday morning affected Fashion Show Mall and 700 customers near Valley View Boulevard and Spring Mountain Road, NV Energy officials said.

Clark County Public Works responded to seven separate calls of fallen trees on roads across the valley and had reports of six intersections where traffic lights went dark during power outages, county spokeswoman Stacey Welling said. The trees were removed and the traffic lights resumed working once power was restored.

Metzger said there were also reports of a fence knocked over in the mountains.

Meanwhile, the Clark County Department of Air Quality issued an advisory for dust kicked up by the wind. But no unhealthy levels of dust in the air were reported.