February has proven to be a crazy weather month for most of the United States this year. It was no exception in Las Vegas, who received their third snow this month.
The last time they reported two or more snowfalls in February dates all the way back to 1987 with the highest reported snowfalls occurring in 1949 when it snowed five times that same month.
Las Vegas hasn’t seen a trace of snow at McCarran International Airport since Christmas Day in 2015. That all changed this year on February 10th which is when the first snow this winter was reported at McCarran.
There are only seven instances where the airport has seen two or more snowfalls in February, according to the National Weather Service. The years include 1939, 1955, 1960, 1979 and 1985.
Last night is when Las Vegas got snow for the third time this month. So far this winter, they have had a total of four snow events – last night marking the fourth. This past Sunday, some parts of the Las Vegas valley received between one and two inches of snow while other areas experienced only a light dusting.
One of the areas that reported at least an inch of snow was Henderson. Henderson is southeast of downtown Las Vegas. The highest snowfall was west of downtown Las Vegas which reported 1 to 2 inches of snow according to the National Weather Service.
The snow on February 10th and Sunday’s snow were both caused by the same thing that has caused wintry weather throughout the month across the West.
The jetstream coupled with an upper-level disturbance moving through a cold southward dip. Aside from snowfall, Sunday was the thirteenth day in a row that temperatures were below average.
Sunday’s snow caused the closure of Interstate 15 on Monday morning. According to the Nevada Highway Patrol, the closure ran from the southern end of State Route 146 all the way to Primm on the California border.
Wednesday evening, snow fell again which marks the third time this month. SR160 was closed in both directions due to heavy snowfall and multiple wrecks have already been reported. Summerlin again is getting the most of the snow with a concentration along the southwest and northwest valley.
With over a week left in the month, 2019 may prove to be a record-breaker – it’s halfway there already!
