First day of winter brings more wind to Las Vegas Valley
The Las Vegas Valley will see more gusty winds on Thursday, the first day of winter, according to the National Weather Service.
High winds battered the valley on Wednesday, with gusts of up to 52 mph measured at McCarran International Airport and up to 68 mph at Red Rock Canyon, the weather service said.
The winds this week in Northern Nevada have even more powerful, with Slide Mountain near the Mt. Rose ski resort southwest of Reno clocking a gust of 114 mph late Tuesday.
Thursday’s winds in Las Vegas should be calmer, holding steady between 15-25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. The weather service issued a wind advisory for the valley on Wednesday that will continue through 3 p.m. Thursday.
McCarran warned high winds could continue to delay flights through Thursday morning, but as of 6 a.m. the Federal Aviation Administration reports no major issues for arriving or departing flights.
Snow was reported overnight at Mount Charleston, the weather service said, but at 6 a.m. no official measurement was available. Snow usually starts to accumulate on the mountain in November.
The 1st precipitation in months brought a 3" dusting to #LeeCanyon! Looks like Mother Nature is finally deciding it's #Winter! Be prepared when traveling after a storm. Check https://t.co/rTOemcsASt for closures/ chain restrictions and slow down!
: @GoPro #Hero6 pic.twitter.com/3wN2RiHHZS— Lee Canyon (@LeeCanyonLV) December 21, 2017
Thursday’s forecast high is 51 degrees, the weather service said, with an overnight low of 32 overnight as winds diminish to about 5-10 mph.
Friday should be sunny with light winds and a forecast high of 52, the weather service said. Saturday’s forecast high is 58, and Sunday should reach 59.
Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.
