One 40 mph gust: Windstorm forecast packed more bite than actual winds
Wind gusts largely in the upper 30-mph range were being felt across much of the Las Vegas Valley on Tuesday morning but didn’t get much stronger.
A high wind warning issued for the region — one that called for gusts of 60 mph or more on the west side of the Las Vegas Valley — from 7 a.m. Tuesday to 4 p.m. Wednesday was downgraded in the early afternoon to a wind advisory, National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Outler said.
During the morning hours, a gauge near Las Vegas Motor Speedway clocked a peak gust of 40 mph, while Harry Reid International Airport clocked a gust of 38 mph. Henderson Executive Airport hit 37 mph as did a gauge atop Allegiant Stadium. North Las Vegas Airport recorded a 33 mph gust, and Red Rock Canyon logged a gust at 31 mph, according to the weather service.
A gusty afternoon was expected, but not to the degree listed in the high wind warning, Outler said.
“A few spots may hit the 40 to 45 mph range,” Outler said. “It will still be windy today and tomorrow, however.”
Afternoon gusts remained in the 30-35 mph range at the three valley airports, but were less frequent, according to the weather service website.
Gusts in Summerlin ramped up a bit to 20-25 mph, but were nowhere close to the potential 60 mph forecast in the high wind warning.
Exceptions to the lighter-than-forecast wind velocities include the Colorado River Valley and Laughlin, Outler said.
“They are having winds of 50 mph, so they are still under the gun,” he said.
Gusts at the Laughlin/Bullhead City International Airport were just under 50 mph most of the afternoon.
Gusts started around daybreak Tuesday, and the weather service said odds were nearly 66 percent that Summerlin and the west side of the valley would see gusts of up to 60 mph.
The forecast turned out to be stronger than the wind storm.
Dust advisory issued
The Clark County Division of Air Quality issued a dust advisory for Tuesday to advise residents and local construction sites of the airborne dust due to expected winds from the north at sustained speeds of 25 mph, along with gusts exceeding 40 mph.
Airborne dust is a form of inhalable air pollution called particulate matter or PM, which aggravates respiratory diseases. Under windy conditions people with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children may feel better staying indoors as much as possible because they could be at greater risk from particulates, especially when they are physically active, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Consult your physician if you have a medical condition that makes you sensitive to air pollution.
The winds are not associated with any moisture, according to the weather service. Tuesday is the 178th consecutive day without measurable rain at the official measuring station at the Las Vegas Airport, the second-longest dry spell in Las Vegas weather history since 1937.
In 2020, the airport went 240 days without receiving measurable precipitation.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com.
