Snow on The Strip: Las Vegas is hit by flurries as winter storms cut off California highway
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 1:13 PM on 4th January 2011
Last updated at 1:13 PM on 4th January 2011
The U.S.'s bizarre weather got even stranger when the desert city of Las Vegas experienced a rare snow shower.
As motorists in California were trapped on a highway with some spending the night in their cars, gamblers in Sin City awoke to the sight of flurries instead of blazing sun.
Drivers spent hours crawling over Interstate 15's snowy Cajon Pass to get back to Los Angeles from Las Vegas, where snow was recorded at the official measuring station near McCarran International Airport.
Snow day: Homes west of The Strip, Las Vegas, which can be seen in the background, are covered by a light layer of snow
'You don't come to Las Vegas and think, "Hey, it's going to snow,'' said Josh Hansen, 22, of Los Angeles, who was posing with friends amid flurries next to the iconic 'Welcome to Las Vegas' sign.
'It's really weird.'
National Weather Service meteorologist John Adair said neighbourhoods several miles west of the Strip got one or more inches of snow, and up to six inches of snow fell overnight in Pahrump, a high desert community about 60 miles west of Las Vegas.
The storm follows weeks of extreme weather in the U.S., which has included widespread flooding in California.
Hundreds of motorists returning from the New Year's holiday found themselves stuck after Interstate 5 was closed for a second day over the 4,160-foot-high Tejon Pass, about 70 miles north of Los Angeles.
The California Highway Patrol closed a 30-mile stretch of the highway shortly after 12:30 p.m. Sunday because of blowing snow.
Shovelling: A worker moves snow from a petrol station in Gorman, California, where roads were left in treacherous conditions
Blizzard conditions eased to light snow flurries but the road remained clogged with snow and patches of ice.
The Highway Patrol finally started escorting vehicles over the pass yesterday afternoon in groups of about 500. Traffic was flowing normally by late afternoon as weather conditions improved.
'It took us two hours to go five miles,' said Charlie Crandall, who was trying to return north after visiting relatives in San Diego.
He and a friend were lucky enough to find nearby hotel rooms, but hundreds more didn't get lodging, and the cars kept coming.
'A lot of people slept in their cars,' said Crandall, 55.
In Utah, officials found the body of a missing hiker yesterday after the search was halted late on Sunday because of cold and dangerous conditions.
Closed: Interstate 5 near Castaic, California, was shut to traffic after the snowfall
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343943/Las-Vegas-hit-flurries-winter-storms-cut-Californian-highway.html#ixzz1A4wEe3rG
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