It’s gonna snow! Probably.
People celebrating the eve of the New Year in Las Vegas may be seeing more than confetti falling from the sky.
The best chance for snow — it’s a 60 percent chance — will come late Wednesday afternoon and early in the evening, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Stachelski.
Even though the storm system is carrying less moisture than was forecast Saturday, Las Vegas will likely see between a half-inch to an inch of snow and record low temperatures, Stachelski said.
Wednesday morning and early afternoon is forecast to have wind speeds between 10 and 15 miles per hour, with gusts in the low 20s.
Those should drop off toward the evening though — to between 6 and 12 miles per hour by about 4 p.m. — and will drop even more closer to midnight, Stachelski said.
Sustained winds would need to blow at least 10 miles per hour for firework shows to be cancelled, Stachelski said. He expects winds will die down enough for those shows to proceed.
The winds will accompany record low daytime temperatures. The high is forecast at 38 degrees, a tie for the lowest New Year’s Eve high temp since 2010, Stachelski said.
Normally, the New Year’s Eve high temperature is 56 degrees and the nighttime low is 38. Wednesday night lows will dip below freezing to 30 degrees, the meteorologist said.
The weather service predicts it will be 32 degrees at midnight on New Year’s Eve, which is only the third time temperatures have dropped to, at, or below freezing at midnight on the holiday since 1990, Stachelski said. The last two times were in 1991 and 2011, he said.
Flurries of snow are expected to fall over the valley in the early evening, up to a half-inch, Stachelski said. The outskirts of town and areas of higher elevation could see up to an inch, but the white stuff probably won’t stick in most parts of the valley.
Searchlight, which is already seeing snow, and Hoover Dam will likely see 1 to 2 inches of snow on Wednesday.
Travel through Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area may also be affected by snowfall, according to the Bureau of Land Management.
“Pristine snow capping Joshua trees with glorious red sandstone background is a photo sought after by many,” BLM spokeswoman Kirsten Cannon said Tuesday. “Unfortunately, the same snow can cause dangerous driving conditions and may cause the 13-Mile Scenic Drive to close intermittently.”
Cannon advised potential visitors to call (702) 515-5350 and check if the 13-mile scenic drive is open. The drive will be open 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. New Year’s Day, unless poor driving conditions force temporary closures.
Drivers planning to leave Las Vegas to the east or northeast after their New Year’s celebrations should also tailor their plans to avoid hazardous road conditions, and should wait until Friday or Saturday to leave town, Stachelski warned.
The storm that is bringing snow to Las Vegas will not move out of Utah and Arizona until late Thursday night, Stachelski said. Even after it passes through the area, there will most likely be ice and compacted snow on the roads, he warned. Because the system is swinging southeast, Kingman, Ariz. will see 3 to 4 inches of snow, more than Mount Charleston.
New Year’s Day is expected to be cloudy in the morning and into the late afternoon with high temperatures about 42 degrees and lows about 30 degrees. Breezes should blow about 5 miles per hour, Stachelski said.
By the weekend the temperature will slowly warm up and edge closer to normal, Stachelski said. Saturday will see high and low temperatures of 53 and 32 degrees, and Sunday will see high and low temps about 55 and 34 degrees.
The weekend is expected to be mostly sunny, and temperatures should be back above normal early next week, Stachelski said.
Contact Kimber Laux at klaux@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @lauxkimber.
