Storm knocks Mount Charleston cold

A winter storm blanketed Mount Charleston and dropped enough snow by Tuesday evening to bring down power lines and topple trees.

Hundreds of residents were without power late Tuesday.

"Huge branches have been falling off trees all day," said Capt. Steve Brittingham of the Nevada Division of Forestry.

Brittingham, who has lived and worked on Mount Charleston for 24 years, said the storm was one of the worst he has seen on the mountain.

Tuesday's blizzard-type conditions caused officials to close state Routes 156, 157 and 158, which lead to the resort community about 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

Brittingham said only residents were being allowed to travel up and down the mountain. Those granted access were required to have vehicles with chains or four-wheel drive.

It was not known when the roads would be reopened to the public. Officials at the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort on Mount Charleston couldn't be reached for comment.

Lower elevations in the Las Vegas Valley got rain instead of snow. Andrew Gorelow, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Las Vegas, said steady rainfall dropped between 0.25 inches and 0.5 inches of rain Tuesday.

The heaviest rain was measured at the visitors center of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, with 0.87 inches recorded.

Since Monday, most areas of the valley have received 0.5 to 1 inch of rain, Gorelow said.

On Mount Charleston, NV Energy must repair four power lines brought down by more than a foot of snow that had accumulated since Monday. Spokesman Mark Severts said Tuesday crews were having difficulty getting to the lines. Some customers could be without power for 72 hours.

Severts said a power line also went down in the Angel Peak area and will be repaired during daylight hours.

"Because of how treacherous it is, we're not having them work at night," he said.

About 500 of the 1,000 residents of the Kyle Canyon community were without power.

Review-Journal columnist John L. Smith, who has lived on Mount Charleston since 1991, said the heavy snow was bringing down "mature trees" as if they were twigs.

"I lost a 70-foot pine tree," Smith said. "It just snapped in half."

Brittingham said officials were developing a plan to use Lundy Elementary School as an emergency station for Mount Charleston residents who need shelter if they were without power and heat. As of Tuesday evening, the shelter had not opened and no resident had yet requested the service, he said.

Brittingham said a meeting of various agency representatives is scheduled for 7 a.m. today to develop a plan to combat the winter blast. Officials with the state, county, Las Vegas police, NV Energy and the Las Vegas Water District should be in attendance, he said.

Gorelow said Tuesday evening that 16 inches of snow fell on the mountain at an elevation of 7,500 feet during a 24-hour period. He said his organization began tracking snowfall on the mountain in 1980. Tuesday's snowfall is tied at 12th place for the most snow that has fallen on the mountain in 24 hours. The record, 24 inches, was set on March 18, 1982.

Gorelow said about 7 to 10 more inches of snow is expected to fall today at elevations near 7,500 feet. Higher on the mountain, at about 9,500 feet, 12 to 16 more inches is expected to accumulate.

Gorelow said the snow was caused by a low-pressure system from the Pacific Northwest, which has drenched Southern Nevada since Friday. He said today's inclement weather, both rain and snow, should be the last of it.

"By Thursday, we're pretty much done," he said.

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.