Weather slick, snowy

At Mount Charleston, Fred Mendoza pulled his 4-year-old son on a sled and, with a slight shove, sent the smiling youngster shooting downhill and into a snowdrift.

The boy, Brendan, stuck his tongue out to catch a few snowflakes.

"It tastes like wet mint," he said.

The Hawaii natives enjoyed the first big snowfall of the season on the mountain Monday. In the valley, the weather system brought much-needed rain to relieve what is currently the sixth-driest year on record for Las Vegas.

Across the Sierra and western Nevada, the system dumped up to 3 feet of snow, prompting Gov. Jim Gibbons to order all Northern Nevada state offices closed and all nonessential personnel to go home or stay home. Reno city government offices also were closed.

"It's wintertime," observed National Weather Service meteorologist Faith Borden.

Las Vegas officially saw 0.28 inches of rain fall by late Monday night. Some parts of the city saw as much as 0.67 inches. The rainfall brought the valley's official rain total for 2009 to 1.58 inches, well below the normal of 4.16 inches for this time of the year.

"It's helping but it's definitely not going to bring us back to normal," Borden said.

On Mount Charleston, where officials were requiring motorists to have four-wheel drive or snow tires to travel, about a foot of snow was dumped.

The weather caused minor flooding on some streets and stranded two hikers at Red Rock National Conservation Area. Las Vegas police had to dispatch the department's all-volunteer mountain rescue team because its search and rescue helicopter had to be grounded, officer Ramon Denby said.

One of the hikers called police from the top of the Turtlehead Peak trail claiming his partner had been hurt. Denby said the injury wasn't serious.

The weather was caused by a low-pressure system over Northern California that was spinning, soaking up moisture from the Pacific Ocean and dumping it across the region. It was expected to move to the Four Corners region by today. Some slightly warmer systems are expected to bring rain to the valley Thursday through the weekend. Today is expected to be sunny.

Those who drove above the 8,000-foot elevation to frolic in the snow on Southern Nevada's highest mountain Monday afternoon represented points across America, from the Midwest to the Northwest.

Mike Mastje, formerly of Michigan, was eager to bring his family to Mount Charleston in the Spring Mountains. With him and his wife, Sarah, were sons, Anthony, 4, Ethan, 3, and 11-month-old daughter Charlotte.

"This is the first big snowfall of the year, so I thought I'd get some sledding in," he said.

The drive up "was slippery," he said. "Luckily I have all-wheel drive."

At the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort, Chris Harvey, a visitor from Seattle, described Monday's outing as "the time of my life. This is beautiful powder," he said, holding his snowboard under one arm as he trudged through the snow-covered parking lot. "I'm used to icy, packed powder."

His girlfriend, Simone Nelson, arranged their Las Vegas trip as a surprise birthday present, but Monday's snowfall was an added surprise.

"It was amazing," she said. "This is a hidden gem. This is the way to do Vegas."

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440. Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 383-0308