Wet Saturday likely to affect Nevada caucus, NASCAR events

Nevada caucus attendees and NASCAR race fans stand a nearly 100 percent chance of getting wet on Saturday.

Rain is expected to hit the Las Vegas Valley from 4 a.m. Saturday and last through 4 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. The probability is pegged at 90 percent.

Up to a half-inch is expected in parts of Clark County.

Caucus events inside

Doors to caucus events open at 10 a.m., which will be in the middle of the expected rain across the valley.

Depending on the size of the caucus, they will last a few hours or more, meaning many will encounter rain as they head home.

The expected rain could hamper attendance at the caucuses.

Fortunately, about 75,000 Nevada Democrats voted during the early vote portion of the caucus although no official totals have been released by the Nevada Democratic Party.

Busy Saturday race day

Events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are likely to be affected by the rain. Gates open at 7:30 a.m.

Qualifying for the Boyd Gaming 300 are set begin at 10:05 a.m., while qualifying runs for Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 are to start at 11:35 a.m.

The Body Gaming 300 is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.

When weather conditions such as rain warrant, NASCAR typically drops the qualfying runs.

3-8 inches of snow

The storm front approaching from Southern California also is expected to drop anywhere from 3 to 8 inches of snow on the Spring Mountains, depending on the elevation, said meteorologist Trevor Boucher.

“This one is moving quickly when sometimes they will bring rain or snow for a few days,” Boucher said. “This will be a 12-hour window on Saturday and by 10 p.m. Saturday it should be all gone and out of the valley.”

Sunny through Friday

The Thursday forecast calls for sunny skies, winds from 5-11 mph and a high near 67. The overnight low will be around 43 with some slightly lighter winds.

Friday’s forecast high is near 70 with sunny skies and winds of 5-7 mph.

The normal high this time of year is 63, Boucher said.

After the storm, Sunday’s race and the rest of the valley will see a high near 68 with sunny skies.

“We thought we might get a second cold front early in the week, but that is out of the forecast now,” Boucher said. “It will be mild and in the upper 60s for highs early next week.”

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0217. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.