Rain in Las Vegas Valley, snow on Mount Charleston to continue into Wednesday
Snow and rain swept over the valley Tuesday, and the wintry weather isn’t over yet.
A winter storm warning in effect until early Wednesday for the Spring Mountains will be followed immediately by an advisory to last until Thursday evening, meteorologist Chris Outler said Tuesday.
“In a nutshell, a warning is worse,” Outler said.
That means by 4 a.m. Wednesday, the heaviest of the snowfall will be over.
Ten inches of snow had fallen in Lee Canyon by Tuesday evening, “and it’s still snowing,” meteorologist Christ Outler said about 6 p.m. Tuesday. That measurement was taken from somewhere around 9,200 feet, Outler said.
Mount Charleston, which sits 1,750 feet lower at 7,450 feet, had seen 6½ inches of snowfall by the afternoon.
The winter weather advisory, which simply forecasts “a few extra inches on top of that,” is expected to last until 4 p.m. Thursday, Outler said.
Because of the storm, low-level clouds covered much of the Las Vegas Valley.
The ceiling was about 400 feet, meteorologist Reid Wolcott said, so more than 600 feet of the Stratosphere’s tower were hidden by gray skies Tuesday.
Temperatures bottomed out at 46 degrees Tuesday morning and peaked at 52 degrees in the afternoon.
Nearly one-tenth of an inch of rain had fallen by 5 p.m. Tuesday, and the heaviest rain was forecast between 6 and 10 p.m. Rainfall was expected to be more sporadic and “showery” overnight, Outler said.
Wednesday’s forecast for Las Vegas includes more gloomy weather, with low clouds and a 60 percent chance of rain in the afternoon, Outler said. The low temperature in the morning should dip to 42 degrees before climbing to 55 in the afternoon.
Another batch of snow is expected to hit the mountains Wednesday afternoon, Outler said.
Clouds will linger Thursday and a 50 percent chance of rain is forecast for the afternoon, he said. There’s a slight chance of rain Friday before the valley dries out over the weekend.
Contact Kimber Laux at klaux@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @lauxkimber. Contact Kimberly De La Cruz at kdelacruz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @KimberlyinLV
