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Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive closed over unsafe conditions

Updated January 16, 2023 - 3:10 pm

The Bureau of Land Management announced Monday that the Scenic Drive at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area has been closed for the remainder of the day due to weather causing unsafe conditions.

A wet and windy Martin Luther King Jr. Day is forecast for the Las Vegas Valley, according to the National Weather Service.

The chance of precipitation is 80 percent. A wind advisory is in effect from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph are expected. The high will be near 57.

“The main part (of the rain) could be 6 to 9 a.m. as of right now,” meteorologist Andy Gorelow said Sunday night. “It definitely is not going to be an all day thing. It will be scattered later in the morning and afternoon.”

People going to the 41st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade that starts at 10 a.m. at Gass Avenue and Fourth Street downtown should dress to deal with the conditions.

A rain risk will continue into Monday night. Winds of 9 to 16 mph could gust to 22 mph.

The Tuesday morning low will be around 39. The day should be mostly clear with a 20 percent chance of showers and a high near 53.

The rest of the week’s forecast shows chilly conditions with highs around 50 and lows in the low 30s.

Winter storm warning

The Spring Mountains as well as Lincoln County will be under a winter storm warning until 4 p.m. Tuesday for elevations above 5,000 feet.

From 5 to 10 inches of snow is forecast for the mountains. The Arizona Strip may receive 6 to 12 inches of snow, said the weather service’s warning.

“It could snow most of the day in the mountains,” Gorelow said.

Lee Canyon received 18 inches from the weekend storm, raising its season total to 96 inches. The resort has 78 inches at its base. The normal season snowfall is 155 inches.

All of the Las Vegas Valley received rain from the storm. Amounts varied from less than a tenth of of an inch just over a half-inch at Red Rock Canyon and .71 inches north of Goodsprings.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.

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