Las Vegas on freeze watch for Sunday

A graphic produced by AccuWeather shows area affected by the freeze watch issued by the National Weather Service. (Courtesy, AccuWeather)

Las Vegas will see its coldest day yet of the season Sunday with a freeze watch, the National Weather Service said.

Starting late Sunday night, the weather service expects temperatures to hit as low as 30 degrees throughout the valley. The freeze watch, which is only issued once a year to signify the season’s first freezing temperatures, will end Monday morning.

Meteorologist Stan Czyzyk said a strong cold front is pushing through northern Nevada and blowing north winds throughout the entire valley.

Areas higher in elevation, such as the west valley, are likely to feel colder temperatures than other areas, Czyzyk said.

The past two freeze watches for Las Vegas also occurred in November, but Czyzyk said it’s not out of the ordinary for the first freeze to happen in January or February.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area, southern Mohave County and the high desert of San Bernadino County are covered by the freeze watch, according to the weather service.

After the first announcement of the season’s freeze watch, the weather service will only send “hard freeze” alerts when temperatures below 20 to 25 degrees are likely to cause substantial damage to property, such as water pipes.

Contact reporter Cassandra Taloma at ctaloma@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381.