Rain, snow cause closures at Red Rock, some mountain roads
Sunday’s wet, chilly weather brought 7 to 9 inches of fresh snow to the Spring Mountains and rushing water to the Las Vegas Valley, causing at least one swift water rescue and closure of Red Rock Canyon’s scenic loop and visitors center.
Arriving flights at McCarran International Airport also were delayed up to two hours Sunday because of the rain, according to airport spokeswoman Christine Crews.
The National Weather Service said Sunday’s steady rainfall will continue into the evening, when chances of rain take a slight dip to 80 percent.
Three people were rescued Sunday afternoon after being swept away in a wash near the Hard Rock Hotel. It was the second water rescue the Clark County Fire Department has made in the past three days.
Assistant Fire Chief Larry Haydu said the city’s homeless often use washes for shelter and don’t make it out in time to escape flooding.
In this instance, he said, seven homeless people lived in the wash, but only four got out in time.
The seven people had lived in an encampment in the center channel of a three-channel bridge, Haydu said. They had created a makeshift dam that eventually broke, washing away the three people who were later rescued.
As of 4:10 p.m., between .25 and .75 inches of rain had fallen on the valley. In the Spring Mountains, 7 to 9 inches of new snow had fallen.
The Spring Mountains Gateway Visitors Center and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area’s Scenic Loop and Visitors Center closed Sunday because of the weather.
Highways leading to Mount Charleston also were closed Sunday afternoon, but have since reopened.
Earlier Sunday, Lee Canyon marketing director Jim Seely advised drivers to expect winter driving conditions in the Spring Mountains and said tire chains or four-wheel drive will be required.
The storm brought a fresh supply of snow to the winter recreation resort.
“We woke up to about 6 more inches, bringing snowfall since Thursday to 3 feet,” Seely said early Sunday afternoon. “And it’s still snowing.”
By 1:30 p.m., the canyon saw an additional 3 inches of snowfall, Seely said.
Significant snow also was reported on State Route 160 between Las Vegas and Pahrump, the weather service said, but roads were not closed. Drivers can expect delays and should drive with caution.
The weather service forecasts dry and cool weather for the week after Monday.
The valley also may experience winds of about 10-2o mph from the southeast, the weather service said.
The chance of precipitation is expected to taper by Monday morning, dropping to 44 percent, Pierce said. By Monday afternoon, the chance of rain is 40 percent.
The weather service said Tuesday’s high should reach 50 degrees; Wednesday, 51; and Thursday, 51. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
Contact Rachel Hershkovitz at rhershkovitz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @rzhershkovitz on Twitter. Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.
