Rain, snow snarls travel in valley, mountains; 9 inches at Lee Canyon — PHOTOS
January 3, 2024 - 5:30 am
Updated January 3, 2024 - 4:24 pm
Up to 9 inches of snow fell in Kyle and Lee canyons of the Spring Mountains on Wednesday before the first winter storm moved east, the National Weather Service said.
A Lee Canyon ski resort spokeswoman reported 9 inches of snow fell as of 4 p.m.
In the Las Vegas Valley, rain fell across many locations with .04 of an inch to .08 of an inch in several dozen Regional Flood Control District gauges. The highest rainfall total was at Red Rock Canyon with .16 of an inch.
Snow was making travel difficult in the mountains on Wednesday afternoon. State Routes 157 in Kyle Canyon Rd and 156 in Lee Canyon to Mt. Charleston were closed due to the storm.
“The official totals won’t come in until 10 a.m. (Thursday), so these are estimates,” said meteorologist Trevor Boucher.
Some snow totals in the Sierra Nevada Mountains along the Nevada-California border were closer to 6-8 inches, Boucher said. Some Lincoln County areas received about 2 inches.
The snow and colder temperatures Wednesday put an end to a long warm, dry streak. Harry Reid International Airport reached 50 by 1:20 p.m., well below the Tuesday high of 61. Winds at the airport had gusted to 21 mph.
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Snow and showers return to the forecast starting Saturday night and into Sunday.
December was the warmest 12th month in Las Vegas weather history with a mean temperature of 53.2 degrees, surpassing the record of 52.7 set in 1980. The high temperature reached 60 or higher on 22 of 31 days.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com or on X at @VegasMarvRJ.