Sunny weekend forecast; flooding damages Lincoln County dam, roads
Precipitation is forecast to be absent from the Las Vegas Valley for the weekend starting Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
After Wednesday showers caused some area flooding and mountain snow was expected to reach up to 2 feet at the peaks, the sky should be sunny with a high near 64. A north wind of 10-14 mph will chill the air. Gusts could reach 20 mph.
Winds will calm Thursday night at 6-8 mph from the northeast.
The Friday low should be near 43 before rising to around 64.
Weekend highs are expected to be in the lower 60s before rising early next week. A chance of showers is in the forecast for Tuesday.
Roads closed in Lincoln County
Flooding closed several roads and endangered a dam in Lincoln County on Thursday morning, according to the sheriff’s office.
Overnight there were concerns that Echo Dam might fail. Lincoln County commissioners declared a state of emergency about a potential failure of Echo Dam. Sheriff’s deputies observed significant erosion of the emergency spillway along with two out of the four rock pylons being lost, and the third heavily compromised. Video shows water rushing through what appear to be remains of the dam structure.
Video posted on Facebook shows heavy flood and erosion damage to Delmue Ranch Road. The road was closed.
State Routes 319 and 317 were heavily damaged and closed as a result.
A voluntary evacuation was ordered for residents of low-lying areas of Panaca. Shelter sites were in the process of being set up at the Panaca LDS Church and Lincoln County High School.
Shelters for residents of Dry Valley were being arranged at the Pioche LDS Church in the event the dam was lost.
Panaca is on U.S. 93 about 165 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
Lee Canyon snow mounts
Lee Canyon had logged 229 inches of snow for the season on Wednesday afternoon with 12 inches in the past 12 hours. The website said it anticipated getting a few more inches Wednesday night, but the weather service was calling for 4 to 8 inches.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.
