Echo Dam holds amidst Lincoln County flooding; sunny Las Vegas weekend expected
Albeit a bit cool for the starting weekend of pool season, Las Vegas is forecast to have pleasant conditions, says the National Weather Service.
A sunny Friday should see a high near 65 while morning northwest winds of 6-10 will switch to come from the northeast in the afternoon.
The Saturday low will be bear 45 before a sunny afternoon high near 66 and similar winds. Some clouds will develop Sunday with a high near 67.
After a Monday high near 69, a chance of rain will develop late in the day.
Flooding threatens dam
North of Las Vegas in Lincoln County, flood warnings remain in effect through Friday afternoon for much of the Meadow Valley Wash.
The Lincoln County sheriff’s office reported on Facebook that several roads were underwater Thursday as a result of flooding.
Both Echo and Spring Valley state parks are closed and officials are asking that the community doesn’t venture in as that could hinder repair operations.
Several county entities met Friday morning to discuss the situation with Echo Dam and flooding. Water levels have subsided, and a state parks engineer stated that the dam seems to be holding up well.
“There will be a couple good days of weather,” the sheriff’s office posted. “However, there are expectations of more moisture as the storms start rolling in the beginning of next week.”
Late Friday afternoon, the sheriff’s office said a structural engineer inspected Echo Dam and reported it was doing what it was designed to do and is showing no signs of breaking.
In addition, a Facebook post said county personnel are in several monitoring spots and residents will have at least two hours notice of any need for evacuation.
A Federal Emergency Management Agency task force is on the ground preparing a projected flood plain that will give authorities a better idea of all the impact zones, the post said, providing better information for evacuations and further courses of action.
Sandbags are available at the Panaca, Pioche and Eagle Valley fire stations. A crew will be at the Panaca Gravel Pit from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday to help community members get sandbags.
Questions can be emailed to Kade Lee at klee.lcfd@gmail.com.
As of late Friday morning, the condition of roads:
— Route 319 still has road closed signs per NDOT, but there is no water on the roadway and is passable. The road is still considered travel at your own risk.
— Route 317 just pass Kershaw Ryan is still flooded and impassable.
— Delmue Ranch Road is still heavily damaged, and travel is not advised.
— Route 322 is open up to MM16-18 (just after Eagle Valley Resort).
— All access roads into Ursine have been wiped out.
Drought conditions improve
While all eyes have been on neighboring California, #drought conditions have been improving dramatically in Nevada as well. Nevertheless, almost 80% of the state is still in drought. #NVwx pic.twitter.com/nsl7QTDlZG
— Drought Center (@DroughtCenter) March 16, 2023
The wet weather of the past week has drastically reduced the amount of Nevada under severe or worse drought, according to the Nevada Drought Monitoring Center.
It is the best drought condition across the state in nearly two years.
Lee Canyon tops 230 inches
Receiving 3 inches of snow just after the end of skiing on Thursday, Lee Canyon has received 232 inches this year at Rabbit Peak. The next projected possible snowfall is Sunday.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.
