LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas can put away umbrellas for now after a soggy week and a half brought record-breaking rainfall to the valley.
Harry Reid International Airport (our city's official weather station) has already logged 1.64 inches of rainfall this November, well above the 0.3-inch average. This makes it the fifth wettest November on record so far.
WATCH | Las Vegas to expect a wet November
The recent wet weather shattered two daily rainfall records on Nov. 15 (0.65 inches) and Nov. 19 (0.37 inches). The previous records were 0.52 inches in 1964 and 0.29 in 1967, respectively.
October was also unusually wet with 0.99 inches of rainfall, marking the eighth wettest October on record.
Up on the mountain, Lee Canyon has accumulated 30 inches of natural snow so far this season. Snow water equivalent in the Spring Mountains stands at a staggering 481% of normal. That's nearly five times the average!
Last year at this time, Lee Canyon had less than 3 inches of natural snowfall accumulation.
The exceptional precipitation does provide significant help for local drought conditions. However, as locals know 90% of Las Vegas' water supper comes from the Colorado River system and upper Colorado Region snowpack.
The upper Colorado River basin currently sits at just 44% of average snowfall. With more than 100 days left in the winter season, we'll continue monitoring whether that number improves.
Despite the active weather and healthy precipitation locally, 91% of the Colorado River basin still remains in various stages of drought conditions.
Here's some good news: another rainy system is expected this coming weekend, bringing a cooler and wetter start to December.
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