When Sin City froze over: You won’t believe how cold it’s been in Las Vegas

By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Those who think Las Vegas is cold now haven't seen anything yet. In sharp contrast to the city's blistering hot and dry summers, temperatures have plunged lower than 10 degrees here several times. With cooler temperatures hitting the valley and more on the way in the next few months, here is a roundup of some of Las Vegas' coldest days on record.

• Jan. 9, Jan. 10, Jan. 22 and Jan. 25, 1937

Welcome to the most bone-chilling month in Las Vegas history, yielding four record-low days. The thermometer plunged to 11 degrees on Jan. 9 and Jan. 10, leaving residents and service stations from Las Vegas and Boulder City without water due to frozen pipes. Several stores also ran out of anti-freeze, prompting motorists to remove the water from their radiators to keep them from freezing and bursting. Things got worse on the 22nd and 25th, when the temperature fell to 9 and 8 degrees, respectively. It was so cold that water priming the pumps of the city's two fire trucks — yes, two — froze as the vehicles were parked in the station. "We have always felt that the fire house was sufficiently warm to prevent anything on the trucks from freezing," said the fire chief, Harold Case. "Had we been called upon to fight a serious blaze, it would have been necessary to thaw out the pumps before we could get any water onto the fire at all."

• Jan. 13, 1963

The temperature hit 8 degrees, tying a record and leading to a variety of problems in the city. Shrubbery died, pipes froze and engine blocks burst when coolant froze and expanded. In addition, local firefighters reported a rash of minor fires caused by residents attempting to thaw their pipes, ostensibly with torches.

• Jan. 19, 1943

A massive winter storm dumped heavy snow at Mount Charleston and left valley residents shivering amid 10-degree overnight temperatures. It also dumped 1.58 inches of rain, causing road and railroad closures from Las Vegas to Southern California. News reports at the time made no mention of damage from ice, however.

• Jan. 6, 1971

Early news reports indicated that the low would sit at 15 to 25 degrees for the day, but the official low temperature for the day hit 12 degrees. The Las Vegas Sun reported that the chilling temperatures set no records except possibly for frozen water pipes or cars failing to start.

Sources: Las Vegas Sun, Las Vegas Evening Review-Journal and National Weather Service archives.