Rare rain: Las Vegas to get wet for New Year’s celebrations

It’s going to be a strange sight tonight on the Strip: tourists wearing ponchos and holding umbrellas for the New Year’s festivities.

For the first time since 2014, Las Vegas is expected to see rain on New Year’s Eve as a Pacific storm pushes its way into Southern Nevada.

The forecast at midnight, when the fireworks are set to go off on the Strip and elsewhere, calls for a 55 percent chance of rain, with a high around 50 degrees.

Chris Outler of the National Weather Service said models are showing that the bulk of the rain will come between 5 and 10 p.m. Daytime temperatures will be in the mid-to-upper 50s.

“We’re not expecting it to be a washout, but it’s just going to be a little wet and drizzly,” Outler said.

Harry Reid International Airport could get 0.10 inches of rain from the storm, Sam Meltzer of the National Weather Service said late Tuesday. Other areas of the valley could receive 0.25 inches and possibly more.

But don’t expect any rain records to be broken. The record is 0.21 inches, set in 1943. Las Vegas saw a trace of rain in 2014.

Fireworks threatened?

Tourists on the Strip or Fremont Street shouldn’t expect many disruptions, however.

When it comes to fireworks, the bigger factor is wind, Outler said. Rain could affect visibility of the fireworks but doesn’t present any safety concerns.

Light winds are expected for the two-day New Year’s holiday.

Block party canceled

Main Street Boulder City Director Michelle Caven released a statement on Tuesday announcing the cancellation of the city’s scheduled block party. She said organizers know that people are “understandably disappointed,” but the combination of strong rain chances along with chilly temperatures and high humidity was too risky.

New Year’s rain facts

— The last time it rained on New Year’s Day was 2023, when the airport recorded 0.12 inches in the early morning hours, Meltzer said.

— On New Year’s Day in 1974, the airport saw 4.4 inches of snow (0.43 inches of rain).

— The average high/low for New Year’s Eve is 56/39 degrees.

— The valley didn’t see its first rainfall of 2025 until Feb. 13 (0.57 inches).