Chill out, Las Vegas, this isn’t even cold

Compared to 1948, the cold front this week that swept through the Las Vegas Valley and made temperatures plummet, coated cars with frost and made your breath visible is almost toasty.

Thursday’s low temperature of 29 degrees, recorded at McCarran International Airport, was more than 10 degrees warmer than the record 18 degrees set in 1948, according to the National Weather Service.

Today’s temperatures are supposed to be a little colder but still more than five degrees higher than the record low set in 1942 of 23 degrees.

It might have been a lot colder in the 1940s, but at least it was dry. The current cold front brought in some precipitation, and more is expected on Saturday.

Even with the possibility of 2 inches of snow in the western part of the valley Saturday, it is still expected to be about 10 degrees warmer than the record low of 21 degrees in 1948. Official temperatures are recorded at the airport, and parts of the valley might see even lower temperatures. The high temperatures throughout weekend are hovering in the low 40s.

Even colder weather is expected to hit Sunday and into next week, meteorologist Ryan Metzger said.

It is not necessarily a precursor to a cold winter, Metzger said, because this early in the season, it is hard to tell what kind of winter the valley will experience.

Residents of the valley should take care to winterize their homes before the weather gets too cold, wrapping pipes and plants, covering pools and ensuring that heating devices don’t cause any fire hazards.

Northern Nevadans are probably better adjusted to the cold than Las Vegas residents, but that didn’t stop them from having traffic trouble in the snow. Nevada Highway Patrol had reports of 41 slide-offs, 112 motorist assists, 118 property-only accidents and 56 injury accidents Wednesday.

The cold may not be 1940s cold, but it has put a snag in some events hosted by the county.

The annual Country Christmas and Classic Car Show event this weekend has been canceled because of the inclement weather forecast for Saturday. The event was to be held at Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs.

The weather also changed Santa’s travel plans. Instead of arriving by helicopter this morning at 6:50 a.m. at Target on 278 S. Decatur Boulevard, near Meadows Lane, he will be arriving in a SWAT vehicle for the Metropolitan Police Department’s annual Santa Cops event. The event will pair up 112 disadvantaged children with police officers at 6:15 a.m. to shop at Target for Christmas presents.

Clint Holmes’ outdoors holiday show scheduled for Sunday at the Symphony Park near The Smith Center has been moved indoors, and a second performance has been added. The show will be presented at 2 and 5 p.m. in Cabaret Jazz on Sunday. Performances will be held tonight and Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $35-$50. For tickets, call 702-749-2000.

Bluegrass in the Park, scheduled for Sunday, at the Lorenzi Park’s band shell, is canceled. The next bluegrass event is Jan. 5 from 1 to 3 p.m. For more information, call (702) 229-5443.

Reporter Annalise Porter contributed to this story. Contact reporter Rochel Leah Goldblatt at rgoldblatt@reviewjournal.com or 383-0381.