Winter Wonderland in Las Vegas

I know this is a sports blog about BYU. But the biggest news yesterday was the record-breaking storm in Las Vegas. It was remarkable how this town reacted to snowfall that, back in Utah, would be regarded as fairly routine. Flights at the airport were grounded, major highways were shut down and schools were closed. As it turned out, the 3.6 inches that fell Wednesday was the highest snow accumulation recorded in the month of December since the start of official weather records in 1937. The previous record? Two inches, back on Dec. 15, 1967.

On the front page of the Las Vegas Review-Journal there was a large photo of some people posing beneath the famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign on The Strip, with snow everywhere. Above the photo, it read, “The odds for snow to accumulate on the Strip would be 1,000 to 1, Las Vegas Hilton sports book director Jay Kornegay said. ‘The odds of being able to build a snowman on the Strip, I’d say, would be 50,000 to 1.’”

Speaking of snowmen, today on the local Las Vegas news, a woman who handles the weather actually referred to snowmen as “snowpeople.” Snowpeople? Sounds like another case of political correctness run amok.

The Review-Journal’s lead story on the front page was actually in rhyme. It starts:

“‘Twas the week before Christmas,
When all up the Strip
Not a sunbeam was shining,
Not even a bit.

The towers were shrouded
In a gray foggy cloud
As slushy snowflakes
gently fell all about

The tourists were bundled,
their cheeks rosy red
While visions of jackpots
Danced in their heads.

Those hoping for sunshine
could do nothing but mourn
As Las Vegas was hit
with a rare winter storm.”

As I look out my hotel room window right now, I see snow still covering palm trees. Today, it’s sunny and warmer, but there’s still a 50 percent chance of snow today. The Cougars will practice again this morning at Bishop Gorman High School.

We’ll file more reports throughout the day.