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If you're flying to Las Vegas tonight, you are out of luck. Snow in Las Vegas has closed McCarran Airport to all incoming flights, and some have diverted to Salt Lake International Airport.
It's not the greatest holiday weather snarl of all time, but then Las Vegas can't cope with even a few inches of snow. Because of that, at least seven flights bound for Vegas will come to Salt Lake City instead, and maybe more through the night.
Transportation in and around Las Vegas is paralyzed, and right now the FAA says it has stopped all flights in and out of McCarran Airport. Flights bound for Las Vegas tonight will not take off from departing cities.
Winter snowfall is extremely rare in southern Nevada. "It's unbelievably unusual, and of course they have no snow- and ice-removal equipment like we have here," said Barbara Gann, spokeswoman for Salt Lake International Airport.
The forecast is not promising overnight: there's a heavy snow warning in effect until 6:00 a.m. tomorrow. The area could get 3 to 6 inches.
Here in Salt Lake, Delta and Southwest and JetBlue airlines will work with the passengers who end up here to either put them up in hotels or find cots. Best advice: If you're expecting to fly there or expecting an arrival, monitor the airlines' Web sites.
E-mail: jboal@ksl.com
