Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Valley’s light rain is set to continue next week

Light rain fell in the Las Vegas Valley today, a taste of what meteorologists think might be in store next week.

A few hundredths of an inch of rain has fallen on the east side near Nellis Air Force Base, as well as in the Mount Charleston area, National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Stachelski said.

The showers are “just enough to wet the ground,” and the most measured rainfall in the valley this afternoon has been about 0.01 inch near Nellis, he said.

Showers are expected to wrap up by 5 p.m., he said.

Rainfall today is a result of a weak storm from the west, which should exit the valley this evening, he said.

The low temperature tonight should be about 56 degrees, and the high Friday is expected to hit 74, Stachelski said.

No rain should fall in the valley Friday, but gusts may reach 35 mph, he said.

A wind-advisory warning of gusts reaching at least 40 mph has been issued for southern Clark County from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, he said. Affected areas include Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Laughlin, Searchlight and Hoover Dam.

The weather should warm up over the weekend with highs in the upper 70s and lows in the 50s, he said.

Things are expected to cool down next week, though the extent to which a low-pressure system off the Gulf of Alaska could result in cooler valley temperatures is unclear, meteorologist Clay Morgan said.

As of this afternoon, meteorologists were predicting a high of 60 and a low of 47 for Wednesday with the possibility of rain next week, he said.

Next week’s weather could be the coldest of the season so far, similar to what the valley normally experiences in late November or early December, Stachelski said.

High temperatures this time of year are typically in the low 70s, with lows in the lower 50s, he said.

Southern Nevada has seen heavier-than-normal rain and flooding this month, which the Weather Service attributes to storms from the north.

At McCarran International Airport, about 1.16 inches of rain have fallen this month, nearly an inch above normal, Morgan said.

Meanwhile, forecasts show the current El Niño may be “one of the strongest on record,” according to the Weather Service.

The ocean-temperature phenomenon could cause additional storms in the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin.

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