Most power restored on Mount Charleston; avalanche danger persists

More rain and snow fell on the Las Vegas region Tuesday as a strong Pacific storm plowed through the Southwest.

An avalanche at Lee Canyon on Monday sent a police search and rescue team to the ski area outside Las Vegas after initial reports of people missing. Ultimately, the avalanche left no one missing, said Jim Seely, Lee Canyon’s marketing and sales director.

Lee Canyon was closed Tuesday and will be closed Wednesday. Crews were checking the ski slopes Tuesday to make sure nobody was unaccounted for.

The ski resort had logged 22 inches of snow at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday since Monday morning, bringing it to 59.5 inches in the past week and 106.5 inches for the year.

Officials with Red Rock National Conservation Area on Tuesday postponed the opening of its Scenic Drive due to flooding at Oak Creek.

Red Rock said its visitor center was open but the but the Scenic Drive would remain closed until further notice. “Reservations will be automatically refunded,” officials said on social media.

Shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday, the Nevada State Police said in a post on X that State Route 156 (Lee Canyon Road) and State Route 158 (Deer Creek Road) had been opened to traffic. Chains or snow tires were required. Motorists are urged to slow down and use caution, due to snow and ice on roadways.

Meanwhile, NV Energy said on social media Tuesday that more than 460 of its customers lost power in the Mount Charleston area as a result of the rough winter weather.

“Crews are working to access the area to assess damage and make repairs,” the utility said in a Facebook post. “Safety remains NV Energy’s top priority.”

At 1:15 p.m, NV Energy said in an email that most customers’ power had been restored.

A generator is staged and in place at the Retreat at Charleston Peak. Should there be another interruption to the power at the Retreat, the generator will be hooked up when conditions make it safe to do so.

As of 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, areas near Mount Charleston had received from three-quarters to four-tenths of an inch of precipitation since midnight. Areas along the 215 Beltway on the west valley had received around a quarter-inch with most other parts of the valley getting from .04 of an inch to two-tenths of an inch.

A record .37 of an inch of rain fell at Harry Reid International Airport on Monday, eclipsing the Feb. 5 record of .33 of an inch that had stood since 1948.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VegasMarvRJ on X.