Valentine’s Day storm sends Las Vegas a white love letter
Las Vegas saw its first snowfall at Harry Reid International Airport on Valentine’s Day in recorded history, according to the National Weather Service.
Snow flurries were reported from Skye Canyon to Boulder City, along with high winds across the entire valley Tuesday.
No snow amount was ever observed at the airport for the date in recorded history, beginning in 1937, said Samuel Meltzer, a meteorologist for the weather service.
“We only got a trace here in Las Vegas down in the valley,” Meltzer said.
Snow in Boulder City on Valentine’s Day! pic.twitter.com/G7NlPvFjPO
— CityofBoulderCityNV (@BoulderCityNev) February 14, 2023
The Nevada Department of Transportation said Kyle Canyon and Lee Canyon roads required chains and snow tires after Mount Charleston experienced “mid blizzard” conditions Tuesday morning,.
Four inches of snow were recorded in Lee Canyon through Tuesday afternoon, according to the resort’s website. A low of -8 degrees with a wind chill of 5 degrees was forecast for the area.
Better to watch the sideways snow from the warmth of indoors than out on the roads in these freezing high winds!
❄️ Stay safe and learn more about snow in the Spring Mountains:https://t.co/9eMSqQkGpH pic.twitter.com/inYf8O3WnA— Go Mt. Charleston (@GoMtCharleston) February 14, 2023
The airport saw wind gusts up to 60 mph. North Las Vegas saw a 63 mph gust, and a 64 mph gust was recorded southwest of the Strip, Meltzer said.
The highest winds in Southern Nevada were recorded in Hoover Dam at 65 mph, followed by Allegiant Stadium which recorded 64 mph winds and the North Las Vegas Airport which recorded 63 mph winds, according to the weather service.
Power outages affecting about 4,000 people were reported in North Las Vegas and central Las Vegas Tuesday morning that lasted several hours, according to NVEnergy.
Snow in Summerlin pic.twitter.com/4aB1FylAUR
— Eli Segall (@eli_segall) February 14, 2023
Wednesday’s forecast
Meltzer said strong winds are expected to continue Wednesday.
“Gusty winds will stick around through the rest of the day (with) gusts around 30 mph, and the cool weather will remain,” he 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.”
Winds are expected to die down to 6 to 10 mph by Wednesday evening.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter. Contact Taylor Lane at tlane@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tmflane on Twitter.
