Precipitation totals were below normal across the entire area during February. The greatest totals were in Lincoln and Mohave counties. The lowest were in Inyo, San Bernardino, Esmeralda, Nye and Clark counties.
Although several storm systems impacted the area during the month, most areas saw only light amounts of precipitation from them. In addition, the track the storms took mainly favored precipitation across Lincoln and Mohave Counties.
Average High Temperature is: 63 F
Average Low Temperature is: 34F
Average rainfall in Las Vegas: 0.48″
Average Humidity in Las Vegas: 28%
February is the time of year where if you like afternoon walks with lots of sunshine and highs in the 60′s, you’ll love this month. The sun is warm but the wind can be cool. There will be a few days when you’ll think summer is right around the corner. But dont let that fool you, the cold is still around and it will be for a few more weeks. With March quickly approaching get ready for pool season which officially starts next month.
The coldest low temperatures at the official Las Vegas climate station for January was 34 degrees on January 14th and 15th. And that’s as cold as it got overnight for the entire month.
This would mark only the 5th time in Las Vegas since records started in 1937 that we have not recorded a freezing temperature in January. The other freeze free Januaries in Las Vegas were 1995, 2003, 2005 and 2010.
Las Vegas normally sees 3 days with a low of 32 degrees or below in January based on normals from 1982-2010. Of the four previous Januaries to not see a freeze, only 2003 had below normal precipitation. The other years were exceptionally wet and rank in the 5 wettest Januaries on record.
So far ths season a total of 52.5 inches of snow has fallen at Kyle Canyon, the official weather station for Mt. Charleston at elevation 7450 feet.
Normal snowfall for a season on the mountain is 103.0 inches.
The record for all time snowiest season on Mt. Charleston was back in 2004-2005 when they saw 217.4 inches of snow.
Now the least amount of snow to fall during a season was way back in 1983-1984 when all that fell was just 30.2 inches.
So we already know that 2011-2012 won’t go down as the least amount of snow ever, and will just have to see what the rest of the winter season brings us but don’t count on breaking the all time snowiest seasons record.
Extremely dry conditions gripped most of the West during December 2011. December 2011 ranked in the top 5 driest Decembers on record for Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. In Nevada, December 2011 ranked as the 2nd driest December on record since state rankings began in 1895. Many areas in the Silver State saw no rain at all during the month including Carson City, Reno and Tonopah. In Reno this was the first time no precipitation was recorded in December since 1870.
From a cold and snowy start to a wind-whipped fall, 2011 brought a number of extreme weather events to the Mojave Desert and southern Great Basin.
Snow in northwest Las Vegas on January 3rd, blowing dust near Jean on March 16th and a record dewpoint depression at Las Vegas on June 27th of 129 degrees.
Utility poles snapped near the North Las Vegas Airport by thunderstorm winds on July 10.
Lightning over Las Vegas on September 13th , early snow on Mt. Charleston on October 6th and wind damage to roofs in Pahrump on December 1st.
Preciptation totals were mainly below normal across the Mojave Desert and the southern Great Basin in 2011. This was largely due to lower than normal precipitation values during the cold season months. Totals were lowest in Las Vegas, Pahrump and Mt. Charleston. Mt. Charleston, dating back to 1981, was it’s 6th driest season ever. Pahrump only recorded 2.18″ of precipitation while Las Vegas, which in a normal year averages 4.19″ only recorded 2.34″. Hopefully 2012 will be a lot wetter than 2011.
At the official climate station located at McCarran International Airport, there were 51 days this year with a trace of rain or more. That’s above normal because for the entire year normally we experience 47 days. Unfortunately when you look at the actual amount of precipitation that fell, it was way below the normal value for the entire year.
The actual average yearly rainfall that falls in Las Vegas is 4.19 inches. It looks like for this year (2011) were going to fall way short of
of that average. As of Friday last week our current rain total was only 2.34″
Since 1990 the average temperature at 12AM on New Years Eve has been right around 43 degrees. The coldest New Years Eve since then was 27 degrees which occurred in 1991. The warmest by comparison was 57 degrees back in 1999.
But do you remember last year as we ushered in 2011? A strong cold front blew into S. Nevada on December 30, making for one of the coldest New Years Eve days ever. The high temperature the next day was only 38 degrees and the tempature at midnight was a bone chilling 30 degrees. Well have no fear for this weekends NYE festivities. A strong ridge of high pressure is building and we are getting ready for high temperatures in the mid 60′s for the last weekend of 2011. So come this Saturday night you won’t have to worry about freezing temperatures at the stroke of midnight but more like mid 40′s…..Awwww that sounds nice, doesn’t it.
The chances for seeing a White Christmas in Las Vegas are about zero to none unfortunately. Actually the real percentage chances of a White Christmas are 5 percent. Thats not very high when you think about all the other places across the country.
By definition a White Christmas is such when there is 1 inch of snow on the ground or more. It’s doesn’t have to snow on Christmas Day for it to be labeled a White Christmas.
The greatest daily amount of rain ever on Christmas Day was back in 1994 when 0.66″ rain fell. Eight Christmases have had measurable precipitation while twelve have had at least a trace of rain. Now there have been a few times when a few snow flurries dotted the sky’s on Christmas Day and those were in the years 1941, 1988 and 2008 but again those were not considered White Christmases.
