Extreme drought lingers in Las Vegas, even with light rain

Alan Halaly, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Feb 13, 2025

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LAS VEGAS — This week may have brought an end to the Las Vegas Valley’s second-longest dry streak in recorded history, but don’t expect the light mist to reverse the region’s drought.

Almost all of Clark County remains under “extreme” drought conditions, with the northwestern corner under even more intense “exceptional” drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Nearly 60% of Nevada is experiencing at least minimal drought as of the most recent update.

“A recent storm and an ongoing atmospheric river are bringing much needed precipitation to central and southern California and Nevada,” meteorologists wrote in a Thursday report for the National Integrated Drought Information System. “This will mitigate some of the most acute drought impacts, but drought conditions will remain.”

Snowpack still behind

When it comes to water, Southern Nevadans, along with the rest of the 40 million people who live in the Colorado River Basin, are heavily reliant on snowmelt in the Rocky Mountains that eventually flows into Lake Mead.

Snowpack in the Upper Colorado River Basin sat at 81% of a historic median as of Thursday.

But not all of that snow will translate into water that reaches reservoirs. Forecasts show that water flows into Lake Powell were only expected to reach 75% of a historic median, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s report released at the beginning of February.

Along with Las Vegas’ showers, meteorologists forecast about 6 to 10 inches of snow accumulation on Southern Nevada’s Spring Mountains. Still, from a water perspective, conditions haven’t improved: Snowpack still was at zero percent of the historic median on Thursday.

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