LAS VEGAS (SFist) — As the weekend kicks off, Sin City residents and visitors can expect gusty north winds through today, followed by mostly sunny skies and above-average temperatures for this time of the year. According to the National Weather Service Las Vegas NV, the wind will calm down after today, but the lower Colorado River Valley will continue to experience some bluster.
The weather shift comes in the wake of a shortwave trough passing through the early hours of the morning, accompanied by a cold front that is ushering in slightly cooler temperatures. Notably, the winds were so strong that the Spring Mountains and Red Rock saw a last-minute switch from a Wind Advisory to a High Wind Warning, with gusts peaking at a whipping 77 mph at Angel Peak. In other parts of the region, the heavy winds caused at least one semi-truck to flip over along Highway 395 near Olancha, signalling a wild start to the day.
Looking ahead, the NWS predicts that "gusty north winds across much of the area" are expected to return on Tuesday and persist into Wednesday, though it remains uncertain just how powerful they'll be. While there's a growing confidence for these impactful winds, current probabilities of gusts reaching or exceeding 60 mph are pegged below 20% for most areas, the lower Colorado River Valley being a notable exception, where probabilities hover around 40%. Despite this, no precipitation impacts are anticipated with this system as moisture levels are predicted to be too scant to generate any.
Regarding aviation, things should be smooth sailing, "No operationally significant clouds or weather expected through Sunday," except for the already present gusty conditions. As the week progresses, the winds should slacken, and a ridge building in behind the departing system will result in a dry spell, with a gentle uptick in temperatures towards the week's end, as per the NWS' release.
