Precipitation creates traffic chaos before leaving valley

By Lawren Linehan Las Vegas Review-Journal

9 years ago

Poor visibility on I-15N forced motorists to drive slow during the rainy morning on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015. The valley may get a brief break from the rain in the middle of the day, but showers are expected into the evening. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @bizutesfaye

Fresh snow blanketed sheep mountain as seen from South of Las Vegas on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015. The valley may get a brief break from the rain in the middle of the day, but showers are expected into the evening. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @bizutesfaye

Low clouds are shown above homes on the west side of the valley on a rainy and overcast Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015, in Las Vegas. (Ronda Churchill/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Skies begin to clear in the Las Vegas Valley after a rainy morning on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015. The valley may get a brief break from the rain in the middle of the day, but showers are expected into the evening. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @bizutesfaye

Saint Viator Elementary School students and their parents hold umbrellas to shield themselves from rain as they arrive at school on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015 in Las Vegas. The valley may get a brief break from the rain in the middle of the day, but showers are expected into the evening. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @bizutesfaye

Saint Viator Elementary School students and their mother hold umbrellas to shield themselves from rain as they arrive at school on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015 in Las Vegas. The valley may get a brief break from the rain in the middle of the day, but showers are expected into the evening. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @bizutesfaye

Motorists navigate through standing water at the intersection of Charleston Boulevard and las Vegas Boulevard on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015. The valley may get a brief break from the rain in the middle of the day, but showers are expected into the evening. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @bizutesfaye

A truck driver is seen through raindrops covered rear window of his truck during the rainy morning on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2015. The valley may get a brief break from the rain in the middle of the day, but showers are expected into the evening. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal Follow @bizutesfaye

Trump International Hotel reflects sunlight hitting the building from the south on a rainy and cloudy Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015, in Las Vegas. (Ronda Churchill/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

A variety of clouds are shown in the sky and are photographed south of the Strip on a rainy and overcast Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015, in Las Vegas. (Ronda Churchill/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Rainy streets are seen at the corner of Bonanza Road and Martin Luther King Boulevard on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015. (Ashley Casper/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

The low clouds and showers that rolled through the valley Wednesday will be a distant memory by the end of the week.

Rain in the valley and snowfall on the city’s outskirts caused a headache for traffic officials Wednesday morning.

About 9:30 a.m., NHP was investigating 16 minor crashes, Lt. Loy Hixson said. That’s five times the number of collisions the agency would respond to at one time on a normal day. No one was seriously hurt in the crashes.

Traffic near Mountain Pass, on Interstate 15 where travelers enter and exit Las Vegas through Primm, was backed up about noon Wednesday because of about 2 inches of snowfall. Mount Charleston saw just under 4 inches of snow, Lee Canyon saw 6.8 inches and Spring Mountain, which sits at about 4,000 feet, saw trace amounts.

McCarran International Airport saw .19 inches of rain and wind speeds reached about 24 mph at their peak. Everywhere in the valley saw some amount of rain, meteorologist Reid Wolcott said.

Henderson, where most of the rain fell, received about a third of an inch of precipitation, according to the weather service.

Cooler temperatures accompanied the precipitation. Wednesday’s high reach 55 degrees and the morning saw temperatures as low as 45.

High temperatures should gradually increase through the end of the week, with a predicted high of 60 on Thursday and 65 on Friday. The rest of the week is expected to be mostly sunny with breezy conditions and virtually no chance for rain.

Contact Lawren Linehan at llinehan@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0391. Find her on Twitter: @lawrenlinehan