Snow in Las Vegas

Yes, it snows in Las Vegas. It just doesn’t stay. The National Weather Service’s Las Vegas office puts it plainly in its climate summary: snow has fallen at least once in about two-thirds of winters, but it usually melts as it falls. Snow you can actually measure is much rarer.

Meanwhile, about 30 miles northwest of the Strip as the crow flies, the Spring Mountains are getting buried. Lee Canyon’s ski area reports an average of 129 inches a year. Same storms, very different results, and the reason is mostly elevation.

How often it snows in the valley

According to the NWS:

• Any snow at all: about two winters in three, usually flakes that melt on contact.
• Measurable snow at the climate station: about once every four or five years. “Measurable” means at least a tenth of an inch.
• Summerlin and the west side: about every three years. Higher neighborhoods on the valley’s west side catch more than the airport area.

Normal snowfall, based on the 1981–2010 period in the NWS records, is 0.2 inches in December and 0.1 inches in February. Every other month’s normal is a trace or zero. In other words, a normal Las Vegas winter has almost none.

For the rest of the valley’s winter weather, our sister site temperature.vegas breaks it down month by month from NOAA normals: Las Vegas weather in December covers the coolest days and the most freezing nights of the year, and January temperatures in the valley help you plan what to wear in town before you drive up into the cold.

Where it’s measured matters. Las Vegas snow records were kept at McCarran (now Harry Reid) International Airport through January 30, 1996. Since February 1, 1996, they’ve been measured at the National Weather Service office on Dean Martin Drive, about 2.5 miles southwest of the airport and roughly 200 feet higher.

The record books

From the NWS Las Vegas snow records:

The longest stretch with measurable snow on consecutive days is three days, which happened twice: January 10–12, 1949 and January 30 to February 1, 1979.

The photo at the top of this page is from the December 2008 storm, the most recent storm of more than an inch in the NWS list.

Why the mountains are different

Las Vegas sits at about 2,000 feet. Lee Canyon’s base lodge is at 8,660 feet and its summit at 11,289 feet. Air cools as it rises, so a winter storm that brings cold rain to the Strip often brings snow to the Spring Mountains.

That’s why the useful question isn’t usually “will it snow in Las Vegas?” but “is there snow on the mountain?” For that:

• The Lee Canyon conditions page shows the NWS forecast for the ski area’s base, which is a different forecast from the city’s.
• Lee Canyon’s own snow report shows what’s open once the ski season starts.

Going to see the snow

After a storm, a lot of Las Vegas has the same idea. Go Mt. Charleston, the Forest Service’s visitor site for the area, says snow can bring thousands of cars to Lee and Kyle canyons on weekends, holidays and school breaks, and recommends arriving before 9 a.m. It also advises waiting until the storm has passed and the roads have been plowed.

If you go:

• Check NV Roads or call 511 for chain requirements first. Our getting to Lee Canyon page explains what the signs mean.
• Know where you’re allowed to park and play. Roadside parking is banned on parts of Lee Canyon Road, and sledding isn’t allowed at the ski resort. See snow tubing near Las Vegas for where snow play is allowed.
• If you want to ski or snowboard, see skiing and snowboarding near Las Vegas for the options.