Harry Reid International sees flight delays amid strong winds, snow
Tuesday’s Valentine’s Day snow flurries were a long time coming.
Las Vegas saw its first Valentine’s Day snowfall at what’s now known as Harry Reid International Airport since official record keeping began 86 years ago, according to the National Weather Service.
The surprise snow flurries were reported from Skye Canyon to Boulder City, with high winds across the entire Las Vegas Valley.
It wasn’t a lot, but the snowfall marked the first ever observed at the airport, where official weather record keeping began in 1937, said Samuel Meltzer, a meteorologist for the weather service.
“We only got a trace here in Las Vegas down in the valley,” he noted.
It was a different story in the Spring Mountains. The Nevada Department of Transportation said Kyle Canyon and Lee Canyon roads are requiring chains and snow tires after Mount Charleston experienced “mid blizzard” conditions Tuesday morning, and in a tweet advised people to avoiding driving in the area.
Chilly and windy
Four inches of snow were recorded in Lee Canyon over the past 24 hours, according to the resort’s website. A 20 percent chance of more snow showers was expected for the Mount Charleston area into Tuesday evening. A low of -8 degrees with a wind chill of 5 degrees was also forecast for the area.
The airport saw wind gusts up to 60 mph, though average winds are expected to be 25 to 35 mph throughout the valley. The airport high was forecast to be around 54 degrees with a wind chill of 29, according to the weather service.
The weather also wreaked some havoc, hampering travel at the airport with departure and arrival delays of about 50 minutes because of wind Tuesday evening.
Drivers also were advised that travel might be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles. Blowing dust may reduce visibility in some areas.
The Regional Transportation Commission issued a travel alert for Interstate 15 from Primm through Jean on Tuesday, warning drivers to prepare for major delays.
Power outages affecting about 4,000 people were reported in North Las Vegas and central Las Vegas on Tuesday morning that lasted several hours, according to NVEnergy. All have been resolved.
Wednesday’s weather
More wind is in store Wednesday.
“Gusty winds will stick around through the rest of the day (with) gusts around 30 mph, and the cool weather will remain,” Meltzer said.
The airport expects to see a high of 51 degrees and a low of 31 on Wednesday. North-northwest winds of 18 to 22 mph are expected with gusts up to 31 mph.
“That’s around 12 degrees below normal for this time of year,” Meltzer said.
No snow or rain was expected for valley on Wednesday. “In terms of any more precipitation — we’re done with that,” Meltzer said.
Winds are expected to die down to 6 to 10 mph by Wednesday evening.
Contact Taylor Lane at tlane@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tmflane on Twitter. Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.