It's something you normally don't see much of around Las Vegas, but it does happen. We're talking about accumulating snow.
This storm system was a particularly cold one with parts of the valley, mainly the west side, expecting to see a few flakes.
Turns out the southeast valley ended up seeing the bulk of the accumulating snow Monday morning. Both Anthem and Henderson (Paradise Hills neighborhood) received 1.5" of snow. This is the same area that got hammered with nearly 8" of snow back in 2008.
So, how often does it snow in Las Vegas? The average/normal annual snowfall for Las Vegas is 0.3".
Here's the annual breakdown by month:
- November - Trace
- December - 0.2"
- January - Trace
- February - 0.1"
- March - Trace
The record for snowiest January on record is 16.7" back in 1949.
This is also the record for the snowiest season on record for the valley.
The most recent significant snowfall for Las Vegas was back on December 17th, 2008, where 3.6" of snow fell at the NWS office located on Dean Martin Drive. This is the official spot for measuring snowfall for Las Vegas.
The airport, Harry Reid, remains the official reporting station when it comes to everything else.