Looking for a cool, wet March? You may get your wish, at least for a week.
A Pacific storm is expected to bring some rain to the Las Vegas Valley and snow to the nearby mountains starting today.
A winter storm warning is in effect for the Spring Mountains beginning at 4 p.m., the National Weather Service said on X. Areas above 8,000 feet may get between 12 and 18 inches of snow (above 7,000 feet 8 to 15 inches and above 5,000 feet 5 to 10).
“Heavy snow is expected to develop over the mountains,” the NWS said on X. “While mountains will see snow, rain is also expected across lower elevations. … (Prepare) for hazardous travel conditions.”
The warning expires at 10 a.m. Friday. The valley should see measurable precipitation, although not as much as the Feb. 13 storm, which ended a seven-month dry spell in the valley.
Harry Reid International Airport recorded 0.57 of an inch of rain from that storm, while many areas of the valley saw more.
Temperatures will remain steady in the 50s and 60s through Friday, with a warming trend coming for the weekend. But the forecast for next week calls for below normal temperatures and chances for rain.
Dry February
Las Vegas is coming off of its third-warmest February on record since 1937, according to Climate Central, a science nonprofit. The city experienced an average temperature of 59.7 degrees — about 4.4 degrees hotter than normal.
And even though February is considered Las Vegas’ rainiest month, meteorologists said the 0.57 inches of rain was 71 percent of what is normally expected.