Strong wind gusts force ground stop at Harry Reid airport

Wind gusts of over 60 miles per hour in the Las Vegas Valley halted departures at Harry Reid International Airport on Sunday evening.

The airport had seen 457 delayed flights on Sunday as of 9 p.m., according to flight-tracking company FlightAware.

Reid spokesperson Andre Walls said high winds caused the ground stop to be issued. He added that departures will resume when the winds lighten up.

Gusts reached 63 miles per hour at 7:50 p.m. Sunday, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Berc.

“We’re seeing some strong gusts with this, but in general this is pretty typical for this time of year in Las Vegas,” Berc said.

Dust blown up by the wind also lowered visibility down to about six miles at Reid airport and about four miles at North Las Vegas Airport, he added.

Wind speeds should start to slow throughout the night return to normal by noon on Monday as a cold front finishes its journey through the valley, Berc said.