Spring storm drops rain across most of Las Vegas
Another Pacific storm left its mark on the Las Vegas Valley on Tuesday as March continued to be cool and wet.
Before showers arrived late in the evening, gauges in the Spring Mountains showed .47 of an inch. Red Rock Canyon received .51 of an inch as of 6 p.m. the while Calico Basin had .28 of an inch and Kyle Canyon notched .39 of an inch, all as of 5 p.m.
Gauges in the southern half of the valley were recording .04 to .12 of an inch.
Red Rock Canyon logged a gust of 31 mph at 4:30 p.m. after gusts in the upper 20s most of the afternoon. Harry Reid International Airport had a top gust of 37 mph about 4:30 p.m.
The high at the airport reached 61 on Tuesday, a dozen degrees below the normal high.
The sky should clear Wednesday, but the high will be near 59. Winds of 18-24 mph could gust to 33 mph. Temperatures the rest of the week will remain in the low to mid-60s.
Winter storm for mountains
As of Tuesday afternoon, Lee Canyon had received 3 inches of snow over the past 24 hours for a total of 235 inches for the season. The all-time season snowfall record at Lee Canyon is 255 inches.
Lincoln County snow, water
The storm was causing issues Tuesday in Lincoln County, an area experiencing high water runoff since last week.
Snow was accumulating on U.S. 93 north of Pioche. A semi slid off the road on Nevada Route 319 at Panaca Summit, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
Snow was expected to accumulate on U.S. 93 south from Caliente, according to a Facebook post by the NCSO.
Nevada Route 317 was closed and Eagle Valley and Echo state parks were closed. Crews made assessments of damage caused by high water that began Thursday.
“The damage is quite extensive,” a Facebook post by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office stated. “With the expected 4 days of rain and snowy weather, we are working with local and state agency partners to monitor potential flooding.”
Eagle Valley and Echo dams were reported in good condition and water levels started to drop at both reservoirs. There is standing water above Spring Valley State Park.
“State dam engineers have evaluated the Echo spillway and dam integrity and have reported them to be safe,” according to the LCSO. “The damage to Echo spillway has been evaluated and plans to repair will be addressed.”
The dams continue to be a concern. Engineers said that the integrity of them are temporarily OK, and they are hopeful that the dams will continue to withstandexpected flows from incoming storms.
More than 19,000 sandbags have been placed in the county since high water became an issue.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.
