RARE SNOWFALL FOR DESERT CITY LAS VEGAS AFTER WINTER STORM
High Pressure over Ireland next weekend with very mild air.
A winter storm has swept through the US Southwest, bringing rare snowfall to the Las Vegas Strip.
The storm forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights and led to the closure of two interstate highways.
Dozens of crashes have been reported by Highway Patrol authorities, with the majority of incidents involving cars sliding off the roads.
Schools in the Clark County School District, which includes Las Vegas, are to remain closed on Friday.
The city's famed strip, a seven-kilometre stretch known for hotels and casinos, received about 1.3cm of snow, but the western parts of the city received far more snowfall.
The suburb of Summerlin reported 19cm of snow, and Mount Charlton to the west of the city saw as much as 61cm snowfall.
Being situated in the middle of the Mojave Desert, the city usually doesn't see much rain, only 93 millimetres in an entire year, let alone snow.
The city's famed strip, a seven-kilometre stretch known for hotels and casinos, received about 1.3cm of snow, but the western parts of the city received far more snowfall.
The suburb of Summerlin reported 19cm of snow, and Mount Charlton to the west of the city saw as much as 61cm snowfall.
Being situated in the middle of the Mojave Desert, the city usually doesn't see much rain, only 93 millimetres in an entire year, let alone snow.
The valley saw snow and rain showers around 3 p.m. Thursday, the roads could still be wet and icy Friday morning, particularly in the west and south areas of the valley.
“The showers came through late in the afternoon and wet all the streets,” Gorelow said. “It didn’t really have time to dry. Whatever’s wet out there has a potential of freezing overnight.”
Echoing the weather service’s concerns, the state Department of Transportation issued a black ice motorist driving advisory for all of Clark County, recommending that drivers slow down and budget extra time for travel. If they encounter black ice, the department says, motorists should remain calm and avoid overreacting.
Echoing the weather service’s concerns, the state Department of Transportation issued a black ice motorist driving advisory for all of Clark County, recommending that drivers slow down and budget extra time for travel. If they encounter black ice, the department says, motorists should remain calm and avoid overreacting.
“A general rule is to do as little as possible,” the department said in a news release. “Rather, allow the car to pass over the ice. Do not abruptly hit the brakes. In addition, try to keep the steering wheel straight. If the vehicle starts to fishtail, with the rear end sliding left or right, make a very gentle turn into the same direction. Drivers risk skidding or spinning out by struggling against it or by abruptly steering in the opposite direction.”
The city's famed strip, a seven-kilometre stretch known for hotels and casinos, received about 1.3cm of snow, but the western parts of the city received far more snowfall.
The suburb of Summerlin reported 19cm of snow, and Mount Charlton to the west of the city saw as much as 61cm snowfall.
Being situated in the middle of the Mojave Desert, the city usually doesn't see much rain, only 93 millimetres in an entire year, let alone snow.
The valley saw snow and rain showers around 3 p.m. Thursday, the roads could still be wet and icy Friday morning, particularly in the west and south areas of the valley.
“The showers came through late in the afternoon and wet all the streets,” Gorelow said. “It didn’t really have time to dry. Whatever’s wet out there has a potential of freezing overnight.”
Echoing the weather service’s concerns, the state Department of Transportation issued a black ice motorist driving advisory for all of Clark County, recommending that drivers slow down and budget extra time for travel. If they encounter black ice, the department says, motorists should remain calm and avoid overreacting.
“A general rule is to do as little as possible,” the department said in a news release. “Rather, allow the car to pass over the ice. Do not abruptly hit the brakes. In addition, try to keep the steering wheel straight. If the vehicle starts to fishtail, with the rear end sliding left or right, make a very gentle turn into the same direction. Drivers risk skidding or spinning out by struggling against it or by abruptly steering in the opposite direction.”
Once the storm was over Thursday night, parts of the west valley had seen the most snowfall.
Reports in Summerlin showed snowfall between 6 and 8 inches, while Anthem in Henderson saw 2 to 3 inches. Mountains Edge and Southern Highlands saw reports of 3 to 4 inches, while other parts of the valley saw less than an inch of snow, Gorelow said.
“Further east you go there was basically just a trace,” he said.
By Thursday night, Mount Charleston received 18 inches to 2 feet of snow, the weather service said, which prompted chain and snow tire restrictions on all roads leading to the mountain.
Snowfall Thursday afternoon did not add much to accumulation levels in the valley, although snow did stick on the roads in the west for about half an hour, Gorelow said.
“Accumulations weren’t great, maybe half an inch,” he said.
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The storm also caused flight delays averaging more than two hours early Thursday at McCarran International Airport. Roughly 51 arrivals and 70 departing flights had been canceled as of 8 a.m., according to the airport’s website.
Airport spokeswoman Christine Crews said in an email Thursday evening that no flights were diverted, and runway conditions were good throughout Wednesday night and Thursday.
According to the website Flight Aware, nearly 331 flights at McCarran were canceled Thursday: about 173 departures and 158 arrivals. About 296 flights were delayed Thursday: 148 departures and 148 arrivals, the website said.
Meanwhile, at the height of the storm, visibility on valley roads was limited and traffic was heavy in many areas, according to the Highway Patrol.
The agency had investigated 66 crashes by 6 p.m. Thursday, many of which were caused by vehicles sliding off the road. Twelve crashes resulted in injuries — none serious — and two were hit-and-runs, according to trooper Jason Buratczuk.Then on Wednesday that very deep area of low pressure moves west then veers northwards towards Iceland and Greenland again and when doing so it's is rapidly developing with pressie dropping. On Wednesday across Atlantic coastal county's there will be again the risk of some high seas and coastal flooding mainly at high tide.
No severe winds are expected from these systems but strong wind gust for a time is possible.The good news is that the weekend is looking nice and mild with a better chance of drier conditions and sunshine in places.
Kenneth Mc Donagh from the Donegal Weather Channel
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