Unusual weather conditions give valley a hail of a show

A good rule of thumb for Las Vegas weather is that there is no rule of thumb.

That is the way it has always been in Las Vegas, said resident Jerry Corbridge, who was not surprised to see hail in the eastern part of the valley Wednesday afternoon.

"I grew up here and there is nothing that surprises me about Las Vegas weather anymore," Corbridge, manager at an Autozone store at Nellis Boulevard and Carey Avenue, said. "When these storms come up I just try to stay the hell out of the way."

The fierce storm that battered the Nellis Boulevard area below Sunrise Mountain at approximately 3 p.m. was formed when summer heat and winds collided over the valley. The storm then moved into Henderson and Lake Mead, eventually washing out part of Lake Shore Drive for two hours.

Meteorologist Ron McQueen at the National Weather Service said the thunderheads formed along a conversion zone. "The winds come into the valley and the air was very warm," he said.

The winds and enough moisture in the air caused the storms to shift into the valley, he said.

"It is strong," McQueen said of the storms that produced lightning, rain and hail. "The cells around Nellis Air Force Base are producing gusts over 60 mph. There have been reports of pea-sized hail in the northeast valley."

Residents in Henderson and North Las Vegas, however, reported hail the size of quarters, or about a half inch in diameter.

"It was a really sudden storm," said Myrl-Lee Boyden, who works at Highway Rentals Inc. at 5005 East Carey Ave. "The loudspeaker came on telling us to roll up our windows because it was raining, but when we got outside it was hail.

"I don't know how it hails when it's 113 degrees outside."

The hail is created when the hot air in the valley pushes the cool moist air in the thunderheads higher into the atmosphere, causing it to freeze.

The hail lasted up to 10 minutes, according to residents in the area affected.

"We've had some weird weather lately but this was the strangest," said Marlene Coker, of Coker Equipment at 4880 East Carey Ave. "It was about quarter size and we were hoping that it didn't dent any of our cars."

The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for North Las Vegas at 3:21 p.m., but by 4 p.m. all that remained of the storm was a few scattered puddles and the smell of rain in the air.

"A few minutes ago we had a river in front of the store but now it's gone," Corbridge said. "That's the nature of the weather here. It's real bad for a short period of time."

Southern Nevada summer storms can produce worse than hail. Funnel clouds and tornados can form.

"It's not impossible the thunderstorms could form tornados, McQueen said. "We've seen it before."

Five tornados were spotted during a 1993 storm. One man in Henderson was slightly injured when the roof blew off his house.

Drier, cooler conditions are expected in Southern Nevada over the next few days, McQueen said, although temperatures will still hit 101 to 106 degrees.

For some people, hail and storms are a good trade-off from the heat that pounds Las Vegas in the summer.

"I like the rain and the thunderstorms because they cool it off," Boyden said. "It's kind of like a short reprieve from the heat."

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