Wind advisory issued for Las Vegas Valley

From staff and wire reports

Friday, May 20, 2016 | 1:37 p.m.

The National Weather Service is warning of wind gusts of up to 70 mph in Southern Nevada with blowing dust that's affecting visibility on the roads.

Officials upgraded its alert to a wind warning for the area around Mercury near Nye County, which is seeing gusts as strong as 60 to 70 mph.

The rest of the Las Vegas Valley is under a wind advisory through 11 p.m. today, with winds at Red Rock Canyon recorded at 52 mph and 37 mph at McCarran International Airport.

Blowing dust has also been reported on U.S. 95 between northwest Las Vegas and Beatty.

Meteorologist Nathan Foster said the winds were a result of a strong low-pressure system coming from the Pacific Northwest.

Winds are expected to slowly increase this afternoon and taper off in the evening, he said.

Winds are expected to drop to about 25 mph Saturday and 10 mph Sunday, with light winds through most of next week.

The Associated Press and Las Vegas Sun reporter Kailyn Brown contributed to this report.