Weekend winter storm builds slowly in valley
A winter storm was creeping into the Las Vegas area Saturday evening.
Up to 18 inches of snow in the mountains and a half-inch of rain or more in the Las Vegas Valley are expected through the weekend into early next week, says the National Weather Service.
Now we wait… the incoming clouds look ominous pic.twitter.com/T6ak2fycqi
— Mt Charleston Mountain Man (@mountainman_mc) January 20, 2024
“We are expecting about six-tenths of an inch of rain across the valley and up to 18 inches of snow in the mountains spread over two or three days,” meteorologist Matt Woods said, adding that the potential flooding aspect was minimal at 5-10 percent.
The high at the airport reached 59 shortly before 1 p.m. Saturday.
Two rain gauges at Harris Springs southeast of Mount Charleston each showed 0.04 of an inch as of 8 p.m., showing that the afternoon/evening rain was delivering very little measurable water.
Showers overnight were an 80 percent probability, but radar showed them to be very light.
A second front, still west of Fresno, California, as of 8 p.m., is expected to arrive Sunday morning and move to the east around noon.
Rain chances are 60 percent Sunday and Sunday night, 80-90 percent on Monday and a 40 percent on Tuesday.
Woods said rain should be fairly widespread across the valley.
As you may have heard, a Winter Storm Warning has been issued for elevations above 7,000 feet in the Spring Mountains from 10 PM tonight - 10 AM Tuesday, but what kind of impacts can we expect up at Kyle & Lee Canyons? ❄️🏔️🙅🚙#NVwx pic.twitter.com/2vWwrL9905
— NWS Las Vegas (@NWSVegas) January 20, 2024
Snow in mountains
Lee Canyon skiers and snowboarders are likely to enjoy what is forecast. A winter storm warning runs from Saturday evening through Tuesday morning above 7,000 feet.
“The system will be wet and since it is warmer, we should see considerable snow about 7,000 feet,” Woods said.
There was a sledding accident at Lee Meadows today. A lady was knocked unconscious. First responders are on the scene. We need a lot more snow before the sledding will be safe.
— Mt Charleston Mountain Man (@mountainman_mc) January 21, 2024
Snow began falling at Lee Canyon shortly after sundown. Flurries were expected all night.
Wood said potential amounts from the weekend storm were still “a bit fuzzy” but 18 inches or so is a possibility.
“The first wave will be Saturday night into Sunday and then we should see a bit of a lull Sunday afternoon,” before a second wave Sunday night into Monday.
The bulk of accumulating snow is expected to fall from Monday morning into Tuesday. Snow that falls during this time will be heavier/denser in nature, the weather service advised.
Sledding on the slopes near Mount Charleston is still not a good idea because of insufficient snow, officials are advising.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VegasMarvRJ on X.
