Rain coming to Vegas, but warm temps will stay awhile
Keep your winter jackets in the closet, Las Vegas — at least for now.
Snow will return to the area on Sunday morning, but only in the Spring Mountains in elevations above 7,500 feet. Light rain is possible in the valley, with a 30 percent chance of scattered showers but with continued unseasonably warm temperatures, according to National Weather Service meteorologist John Adair.
“It’s kind of a slow moving storm, and not a soaker by any means,” Adair said.
Saturday morning brought mild temperatures to the valley, with partly cloudy skies, a high of 64 degrees and a low of 51 — about 10 degrees above average, he said.
“It’s really a result of extreme cold in the central and eastern U.S.,” Adair said. “It bumps up a ridge of high pressure in the west and causes warmer temperatures here.”
Temperatures are expected to remain relatively mild, at least through Tuesday. Though winds are expected to pick up to 15 to 25 mph, highs on Monday and Tuesday will remain in the 60s, Adair said.
This weekend’s forecast continues a recent trend of above-average temperatures across Nevada. Earlier this week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that 2014 was the warmest year on record for the Silver State since measurements began in 1895.
A statewide average of 53.1 degrees recorded last year was 3.6 degrees warmer than Nevada’s average temperature in the 20th century.
Contact Chris Kudialis at ckudialis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283. Find him on Twitter: @kudialisrj.