Election Day weather in Las Vegas: Windy, rain, cool temps

Could Tuesday’s windy, cool and rainy weather forecast affect voter turnout in the Las Vegas Valley?

“I would say that is definitely less than ideal for standing outside,” said Trevor Boucher, a meteorologist with the Las Vegas forecast office of the National Weather Service, about the Election Day weather outlook.

Tuesday’s daytime forecast is calling for a cool high of 66 degrees. The wind is expected to be gusty, with the morning winds of 14 to 19 mph strengthening to 21 to 26 mph in the afternoon and even higher Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Any voter in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote, no matter how long it takes.

A wind advisory was in effect for the Las Vegas Valley, as well as nearby locales in California and Arizona, from noon Tuesday until 4 p.m. Wednesday.

The high winds could be strong enough to blow around unsecured objects, make driving a challenge for motorcycles, large trucks, trailers and campers, the National Weather Service said. Some tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages could be in store.

“Winds could gust as high as 40 mph,” the weather service’s Las Vegas forecast for Tuesday states. “Chance of precipitation is 80 percent.”

As for Tuesday night, this is the outlook: rain, wind and cold.

More specifically, the National Weather Service is calling for showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 7 p.m., more showers between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., then more showers with possibly a thunderstorm after 10 p.m.

Tuesday night’s low is expected to be a chilly 49 degrees. The winds will gust as high as 38 mph. To give that some context, a tropical storm by definition has minimum sustained wind speeds of 39 mph.

The likelihood of rain on Tuesday night is 90 percent.

According to a National Weather Service forecast discussion posted on the Las Vegas forecast office’s website, an “approaching Pacific storm will result in deteriorating weather across the area especially Tuesday through early Wednesday.”

As if that wasn’t enough, there was also a winter storm warning in effect for the Spring Mountains and Sheep Range of Southern Nevada, with 10 to 20 inches likely for elevations above 7,000 feet and two feet of snow possible for the Mount Charleston peaks.

The ugly weather forecast also means that a scheduled “Vote Las Vegas” event Tuesday at Las Vegas City Hall will be moved indoors, the city of Las Vegas announced.

“Community members are invited to celebrate Election Day inside City Hall with free ice cream (while supplies last), giveaways, photo opportunities and entertainment in the first- and second-floor lobbies, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-7:30 p.m. Food trucks will offer refreshments for sale (weather permitting),” the city’s announcement said. Parking will be free at the lot on Clark Avenue between Main and First streets, the city announced.

Voters can also cast their ballots at Las Vegas City Hall between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., or drop off their mail ballots. For their efforts, voters will be able to receive an “exclusive city of Las Vegas vote sticker featuring an iconic showgirl.”

Contact Brett Clarkson at bclarkson@reviewjournal.com or 561-324-6421. Follow @BrettClarkson_ on Twitter.