Plant protection
If you have sensitive outdoor plants, you might want to wrap them in a light blanket overnight.
“One thing that can wreak havoc on plants is unseasonable stretches of weather,” Southern Nevada Water Authority conservation manager Doug Bennett said Thursday.
A thin cover placed over them, such as burlap or a bed sheet, can often prevent them from being damaged in cold weather, he said. The cover helps retain a small amount of heat being released from the soil below. Adding a heat source, such as incandescent holiday lights can also help, he added.
Ideally, people living in Las Vegas should choose plants that are well-adapted to the Mojave Desert conditions, Bennett said. For plant selection advice, visit the SNWA or Springs Preserve online plant search. Bennett also recommends visiting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map. crashes by 6 p.m. Thursday, many of which were caused by vehicles sliding off the road. Twelve crashes resulted in injuries — none serious — and two were hit-and-runs, according to trooper Jason Buratczuk.
Snow totals
Once the storm was over Thursday night, parts of the west valley had seen the most snowfall.
Reports in Summerlin showed snowfall between 6 and 8 inches, while Anthem in Henderson saw 2 to 3 inches.
Mountains Edge and Southern Highlands saw reports of 3 to 4 inches, while other parts of the valley saw less than an inch of snow, Gorelow said.
“Further east you go, there was basically just a trace,” he said.
By Thursday night, Mount Charleston received 18 inches to 2 feet of snow, the weather service said, which prompted chain and snow tire restrictions on all roads leading to the mountain.
Northwest Arizona was blanketed by at least 10 inches of snow overnight Wednesday, causing nonessential Mohave County and Kingman government offices, as well as schools, to remain closed Thursday, according to Mohave County emergency management coordinator Byron Steward.
What’s ahead
The valley shouldn’t expect any precipitation for the rest of the week.
Friday’s high is expected to be 47, followed by highs of 49 on Saturday, 52 on Sunday, 57 on Monday and 62 on Tuesday. Overnight lows are expected to be in the low 30s on Friday and Saturday before rising to the high 30s to low 40s Monday and Tuesday.
The average high temperature for this time of year is about 64 degrees, a full 20 degrees above Thursday’s high of 44 at Mccarran, Gorelow said.
Contact Jessica Terrones at jterrones@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0256. Follow @Jessaterrones on Twitter. Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter. Review-journal staff writers Rio Lacanlale, Mike Shoro and Mick Akers and photographer Ben Hager contributed to this report.