Lee Canyon gets first snowfall, Las Vegas sees rainy conditions

Lee Canyon received over 3 inches of snow Thursday morning, and anticipated a couple more inches later in the day, according to an Instagram post.

A high of 27 is forecast in Lee Canyon, and is expected to drop down to 22 in the afternoon. Wind around 21 mph with gusts reaching 30 mph is also anticipated for the winter sports destination.

But, don’t get your skis and snowboards out just yet: lifts and trails are still closed at Lee Canyon. The season is expected to start in early December. Lee Canyon is open Friday through Sunday throughout November, but activities are limited and dependent on weather conditions, according to a news release.

Down in the Las Vegas Valley, a low of 41 was forecast for early Thursday with a 50 percent chance of rain.

The high for the day will be near 57 and winds of 9 to 15 mph could gust to 23 mph.

It will be sunny, with a high near 62 on Friday. North-northwest winds of 6 to 11 mph will become northeast in the afternoon.

Saturday should be clear with a high near 67. Sunday will top out around 70.

Winter moves in across the state

Wet conditions created slippery road conditions in Southern California, and the weather service’s Reno office reported 8 inches of snow on Lake Tahoe’s west shore.

Snow was falling Wednesday at the 6,000-foot level in Lincoln County.

As the cold front moved south, snow was falling in central and southern Utah on Wednesday. Travel conditions were expected to worsen Thursday.

Temperatures of 25-28 were forecast for St. George and Zion National Park for Thursday morning.

Freeze advisories were issued for northwest Arizona for Thursday night and Friday morning. Kingman is expected to get a freeze, National Weather Service meteorologist Trevor Boucher said.

California conditions 

California’s first significant storm of the season brought rain to the southern half of the state on Wednesday but winter-like conditions persisted in the Sierra Nevada after a night of traffic-snarling snowfall.

The weather service said winter storm warnings would remain in effect through the day in Northern California mountains, where highway conditions led to spinouts and crashes after the potent cold front moved in on Tuesday. Authorities urged motorists to check for chain controls.

Rainfall across Southern California was generally light but winter weather advisories were issued for the region’s mountains into Thursday morning. Forecasters said snow levels could plunge to elevations as low as 2,500 feet as cold air from Canada flowed into the region.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter. The Associated Press contributed to this report.