By Liam Hibbert | The Center Square Contributor
(THE CENTER SQUARE) – Las Vegas has just experienced its first measurable rain in 214 days.
It was only 0.01 inch, but the precipitation Thursday was enough to break the second longest dry spell in the Nevada city’s recorded history. Las Vegas saw a record-setting 240 days of no rain in 2020.
“We’ve only ever seen 200-plus days without rain happen twice since 1937,” said Moran Steffman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Las Vegas.
“It really emphasizes how dry it’s been,” Steffman told The Center Square Friday.
Steffman said this month has gone against convention. “We’re looking at the next week or so being dry, but then February is one of our rainiest months. It will probably be dry for the next week or so through the end of the month.”
The monsoon season, when the area receives around a quarter of yearly rainfall, is not typically felt until July.
Even with an especially thunderstorm-filled monsoon season, Steffman said it will likely have little impact on water shortages. “Rain here in Las Vegas, when you’re looking at the Lake Mead area, that’s really just a drop in the bucket.”
Instead, expect runoff from the Western Rockies to drain down into the Lake Mead area and hopefully provide some relief, he said.