Remembering Las Vegas snowstorm of 1979 — PHOTOS
For good or for bad, there’s nothing like a Las Vegas snow day.
Sure, there are pretty snowflakes falling from the sky and a break from the meteorological routine. But, in Southern Nevada, a winter snowstorm also means snarled traffic and all sorts of other problems.
It was 41 years ago, on Jan. 31, 1979, that Southern Nevadans saw a surprising 7.4 inches of snow fall on the valley during a single 24-hour period. According to the Review-Journal, Nevada Highway Patrol and Las Vegas police reported too many fender-benders to count, and valley road crews struggled to keep things moving.
The storm also forced the closure of public schools. McCarran International Airport closed with three inches on the ground. And Desert Springs Hospital and other businesses, as well as some residents, lost power for 90 minutes because of what officials called storm-related power line damage.
Yet, even amid all of this snowy havoc, kids slid down hills and snowpeople were created.
The National Weather Service says that 1979 storm still holds the record for greatest daily snowfall here (second place: Jan. 5, 1974, with 4.7 inches).
Here are a few things we did that day.
