Meteorologist Chelsea Kryston discusses the Las Vegas National Weather Service’s balloon carrying a radiosonde that collects temperature, humidity and pressure readings.
Mount Charleston saw a rare may snowfall on Tuesday, as lightning flashed and thunderstorms pelted parts of the Las Vegas Valley.
A high-wind warning issued by the National Weather Service will remain in effect until 5 p.m. The strongest winds Wednesday night into Thursday morning were measured at over 60 mph in Summerlin, the National Weather Service said. Wind speeds topped out at 41 mph at McCarran International Airport. Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal @bizutesfaye
North Las Vegas firefighters are battling a Monday morning blaze at the vacant Barker Motel at 2600 Las Vegas Boulevard North, near Carey Avenue. Firefighters fought strong winds at 3:30 a.m. as well as flames that flared from the roof of the building. Las Vegas Fire Department crews also arrived on scene just before 4 a.m. Winds were gusting between 31 and 37 mph, according to the National Weather Service. This is a developing story. Check back for more details.
A new forecast for the Colorado River says the outlook for the coming year is bleak. The National Weather Service predicts the river will flow at about 54% of its average volume from April to July. That’s when the river usually swells with snowmelt from the Rockies and other ranges, but precipitation this winter has been well below normal across the region. There’s still plenty of time for conditions to improve. The river basin tends to accumulate much of its snowpack in January, February and March. Lake Mead ended 2017 almost 2 feet higher than a year ago, as use of Colorado River water by Nevada, Arizona and California hit its lowest level since 1992. The lake can use all the help it can get. Its surface has dropped more than 130 feet since drought started in 2000. Projections for the lake are almost certain to get worse.