Rain forecast in valley on Christmas

Dreams of a white Christmas in the Las Vegas Valley will be dashed by rain and wind, according to forecasters who predict a wet weather system will arrive by Wednesday.

The midweek rain is expected to last through Friday morning. Rain on Thursday would be the first Christmas shower since 2003.

Those looking for snowy weather will have to look to the higher elevations, said National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Gorelow.

"Go to Mount Charleston," he said, adding that snowfall is expected only in areas above 4,000 feet in elevation.

There have been only two years since 1937 that snow has fallen on Christmas Day, according to the Las Vegas office of the National Weather Service. Even then, the white stuff was considered "trace snow," and never stuck for long.

The cold front expected Wednesday could keep highs in the upper 40s. Temperatures could rise to the mid- to upper-50s Thursday and Friday, but the rain and winds are predicted to continue.

Christmas weather conditions in recent years have been mild, Gorelow said. Temperatures in the high 50s and low 60s have been the norm, as well as no precipitation.

"It's just an active weather week," Gorelow said.