Rain, high winds predicted as weather moves in

A large low-pressure system off California’s coast is expected to reach Southern Nevada on Friday, bringing at least a quarter-inch of rain in the Spring Mountains, which might not bode too well for the Carpenter 1 fire area, a meteorologist said Wednesday.

Jim Harrison with the National Weather Service in Las Vegas said residents in the Las Vegas Valley should brace for wind gusts of up to 35 mph, with gusts of up to 50 mph on Mount Charleston, the result of a significantly smaller system expected to blow in early Wednesday.

“It’s not going to be terribly wet or strong or even cold on Thursday,” Harrison said. “We’ll be lucky if we get a 100th of an inch of rain. But the main impact will be an increase in southwest winds, mainly in the western and southern part of the valley, and up in the Spring Mountains.”

“If it rains steadily, then the burn area and the folks who live in the vicinity could be impacted, and that’s what we’re afraid of,” said.

Harrison said there will be a bit of a break Thursday night before the rains come on Friday.

But only time will tell, he added.

“The storm system changed dramatically in on day,” he said, referring to Tuesday’s storm of the coast, which has since weakened.

High temperatures through the weekend are expected to be in the 60s, normal for this time of year, he said.

Contact reporter Tom Ragan at tragan@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512.