Las Vegas reached a dangerous level of no rain, having gone 214 straight days of receiving no measurable rain. Yesterday, that reign of a lack of rain came to an end. While there was still not much rain, the National Weather Service measured 0.01 inches of rain. Their measuring spot was at the airport in Las Vegas, Harry Reid International Airport. The 214 day dry streak was one of the worst in the city’s history that is on record. The last time the city went over 200 days without measurable rain was in 2020. The dry streak in 2020 and the one that just ended are the only two in 88 years to have lasted over 200 days. Prior to yesterday, Sin City had not seen any rainfall since July 13, 2024.
The dry streak of 2020 was the longest in Vegas history.
In 2020, the city went 240 days without any rainfall, the closest it has ever come to nearing a year. Many thought this dry spell may surpass the one of 2020 but are grateful it did not. Even with the small bit of rain, experts hope this helps turn things around for the area.
Nearly all of Southern Nevada is experiencing an extreme drought. The lower part of the state nearly entirely registers as extreme account to the U.S. Drought Monitor, with parts even showing as exceptional drought level. The monitoring system releases weekly data in the form of color coded maps of the United States and the level of drought, or lack thereof, in every state.
According to the most recent map, 88% of Nevada is under some level of drought.
Of the 88% registering as under a drought, 21% of it is extreme or exceptional. In order to combat this, the state will need a lot more than one bought of rain showing only 0.01 inches.
Parts of the state that are at higher elevations have snow in their forecasts. In the Nevada Spring Mountains, a winter storm warning is in effect with projections of 12 to 24 inches of snow. Elevations above 8,000 feet are expected to get the worst of it. Many hope that this trickles down into the valley and helps provide some relief from the drought or that a reduced storm will move down to the lower elevations.
Meteorologists predict that Vegas could see between 0.5 and 0.9 more inches of rain as we head into Valentine’s Day weekend.
