The National Weather Service (NWS) Las Vegas office announced that Las Vegas could see an entire month’s worth of rain in a single intense storm, per recent estimates. This weather surge was most notable in the desert and_”extreme” across different sections of Las Vegas’ landscape, according to the NWS. The magnitude of the storm was unprecedented, with no measurable rainfall for over 212 days, setting a new record for dry weather in the city_”extreme_extreme” since its foundation.
Las Vegas’s dry climate contrasts with its normal wetter climate, but the dry start to the winter season makes it an unusual candidate for an annual prolonged dry period. Before the storm affected the region, Las Vegas had seen _extreme_ extreme minimums of dryness since its inception over 50 years ago. According to a NWS meteorologist, Las Vegas spends about 0.8 inches of rainfall in February “_extreme_ extremal” normally. This could suggest that the ongoing storm has already produced the equivalent amount of rain for a significant portion of February, with warnings to the public that similar conditions may apply later in the month.
NWS Las Vegas provided a graphic detailing the chances of different rainfall amounts on and of the storm, indicating that there was a greater than 90 percent chance of seeing at least 0.3 inches of rain on Thursday. Additionally, a 50 percent chance of measurable amounts ranging from 0.5 to 0.9 inches, and a 10 percent chance of seeing up to 1.3 inches. Despite theNotification of Rain for Thursday, the area is expected to remain mostly_dry,”_extreme_ extreme, with reduced rainfall and the absence of measurable precipitation.
The current weather conditions in the region suggest that Las Vegas, historically _extreme_ dry, has now experienced extreme drought _extreme_ extreme. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor map, the majority of Clark County, where Las Vegas is located, is experiencing “extreme” drought conditions, with nearly 24 percent of the county being “exceptional” drought. Additionally, Southern Nevada is also anticipated to experience rainfall, including areas like Bishop, Daggett, Kingman, Laughlin, and Lake Havasu. The storm is expected to bring heavy snow to the mountains as well, with up to 50 inches of snow possibly occurring in parts of the Imagine Valley.
In total, the storm has brought rainfall and snow to arid and mountainous areas of the state. The authorities aim to issue a wind advisory across areas of Clark County with wind gusts up to 55 mph in a tropical stormshed scenario. The storm has also caused warnings of tropical storm-force wind gusts, potentially disrupting normal driving conditions. The NWS also predicts a near-normal temperature for the next six to ten days, with_text above average precipitation. The exact rainfall amounts in the coming days remain uncertain, as the storm’s path and moisturetruncate remain to be fully deterministic.
