Rain makes sunshine better

One of the things that makes Southern Nevada unique is its weather.

What?

Sure, you may think that the area’s abundant sunshine makes discussing the weather a rather humdrum experience. Another sunny day will most certainly follow tomorrow, and the day after that, too.

But that is not always the case. The past few weeks have been a testament to that.

April started off like it normally does. We had sunshine and our 75-degree high and 54-degree low was on par with the monthly average of 75 and 56.

Just a few days later, however, we were well above average, with temperatures soaring into the high 80s. We weren’t too far away from breaking the 1934 record of 93 degrees.

It didn’t take long for things to change — dramatically.

We went from near-record highs to 10 degrees below average overnight. The clouds rolled in Friday and didn’t disappear until sometime late Sunday, bringing with them rain, thunder, lightning and in some places hail.

When the rain did come down, it came in torrents. On Sunday alone, we received our average monthly total of just under a quarter of an inch. Combined with Friday and Saturday’s rain we more than doubled that figure.

Making the weather patterns even more unusual is that you can often see storms approaching, or travel just a mile or so away and encounter a completely different weather condition.

As one friend was complaining about how the rain had ruined her garage sale another said the ground was dry at her home.

Not only that, but the storms usually pass through the area quickly. You can run into the store to pick up a gallon of milk with the skies clear and blue overhead and come out a few minutes later only to find raindrops on your windshield and puddles in the parking lot.

Then there’s the wind. Quite often we have hurricane-force gusts. My poor fruit trees can attest to that. They started the growing season flush with fruit and have been gradually thinned by Mother Nature.

I’m not complaining (well, maybe a little about the loss of some of my plums). These changes in weather, no matter how brief, help keep things from becoming too monotonous and give us something to talk about. It makes living here interesting.

We need the rain, not only to keep the plants green and healthy, but to help us appreciate the sunshine.

Hali Bernstein Saylor is editor of the Boulder City Review. She can be reached at hsaylor@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9523. Follow @HalisComment on Twitter.