‘Weather’ or not, here we go

By Matt Hufman

Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013 | 8:30 a.m.

We’re off to Elko and we’ll do a bit of exploring but there’s business as well – the Nevada Press Association’s annual meeting. Our luggage is a little heavier than normal because the forecast is calling for a cold front moving in and potentially snow. Yes, snow. In September.

I mentioned this to a friend in Northern Nevada, and he said matter-of-factly, “It’s called ‘seasons.’”

I don’t know that snow in September is really a “season,” as much as it is just plain wrong, but never mind that. The underlying criticism is that we don’t have seasons in Southern Nevada, and that, too, is wrong. We have all four. There’s hot (summer), not hot (winter), and then there are the other two, which you could call spring and summer, but they blow in and out so fast, who can tell which is which. Last year, they lasted about 10 minutes apiece.

Meanwhile, much of the rest of the state has more traditional seasons, complete with “weather.” It’s interesting in this state, particularly down in the south, that we talk about “having weather,” as if it’s akin to having coffee or company come over for a few hours.

But that’s the desert. Powerful storms drop in, cause trouble and depart quickly within hours if not minutes. (If only the relatives were gracious enough to be so efficient.) And the weather can be spectacularly beautiful – and terribly dangerous. And that’s not just the elements. If you’ve driven around Las Vegas in the rain, you know – it can be scarier than anything at the top of the Stratosphere.

But sit and watch a storm roll through the desert, and it’s breathtaking. Having lived through blizzards and torrential rainstorms in other states, weather in the desert is one thing I cherish about Nevada. Even if it is snow in September.

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On this trip, we hope to eat at a few of the famed Basque restaurants in Elko and talk with some folks in the mining industry. We do want to hear your story – what makes you call Nevada home, what makes it special? You can send your thoughts, photos and ideas to: [email protected].

You can follow us on Twitter — @MattattheSun and Smithtoons.