Rain forecast for Las Vegas Valley with snow in mountains

The Las Vegas Valley will be cooler on Tuesday with rain expected later tonight.

Gusty winds in the Las Vegas Valley should diminish Tuesday morning.

“We had a gust of 47 mph about 3 p.m. Monday at McCarran,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Jen Varian. “The winds should die down by sunrise or shortly after and be about 10 mph today.”

The forecast high for Tuesday is 50, well below the 65 recorded on Monday.

There is a chance of rain or snow after midnight Tuesday.

Wednesday calls for a 70 percent chance of rain with some snow flurries possible early.

“There could be some flurries around, but nothing that will stick,” Varian said. “We might see some snow in the higher elevations and perhaps at Red Rock.”

The Thanksgiving Day forecast for Las Vegas has a high of 51 with a 90 percent chance of rain.

Storm advisories have become storm warnings for the Spring Mountains for the holiday week. Up to 24 inches of snow is expected in the Spring Mountains and Sheep Range starting as early as Tuesday evening. Winds may gust up to 45 mph.

The storm warning runs from 5 p.m. Tuesday through 4 a.m. Friday.

I-15 snow/ice warning 

Many Las Vegans may travel to Los Angeles for Thanksgiving or have friends and relatives coming from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

Varian warned that snow in high California elevations could cause issues on the Mountain Pass bridge that is prone to ice.

“That bridge tends to ice up and it could be closed or difficult to travel,” she said. “Starting Wednesday it could be a problem. Motorists should consider taking Highway 95 and Interstate 40 instead of I-15. The conditions could persist through Thursday and even Friday.”

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0217. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.