[altushansens]

I'm sitting here in SW Oklahoma on a windy day...sustained wind at 27 with gusts to 36 (somehow I believe it to be higher than that!) We vowed never to move to another windy area. Somehow, I'm thinking we'll be breaking that vow with our move to Vegas. Does it get extremely windy there? Also, I know it's the desert, but what is the thunderstorm potential? We're in tornado alley now, and although I'd rather the tornadoes stay far away, I like a good thunderstorm...

Silly little questions, I know...

[gvc8]

normally can get pretty windy during spring with the change of seasons, also around monsoon time of year , mid July to early Sept.

[dynimagelv]

T-storms are GREAT here....only had a couple of twisties and they dodn't do anything....[not enough mobile home parks to interest em]
wind is here....but not like the plains states....

[photobuff42]

It can get very windy and it can bring the dust in the house! The thunderstorms in summer bring more lightning than rain. Very pretty!

[sheriwx]

We're from southern Missouri, and have always been disappointed in the "thunderstorms" here. They are very rare, and when they happen, very pathetic. Light sprinkles in comparison to MO thunderstorms. Everyone on the news will be issuing dire warnings about the "huge dangerous thunderstorm" rolling through, and all you see is a moderate sprinkle outside with a little thunder. The lightning is beautiful, but there is never much storm to go with it.

If you'd never experienced a good thunderstorm in tornado alley, then you'd think the thunderstorms here were fine. But for the past couple of years we've lived here we've never seen anything that comes close to them (the ones from SE Missouri) in awesomeness.

It can get windy here, but it's not bad at all.

[olecapt]

Local thuderstorms come in two types.."why bother" and "oh my god"

"oh my god" are rare...but you will remember. Try august 19, 2003...

[Buzz123]

Usually "bad" weather here means it's windy, but it doesn't do much damage (knock on wood).

There are no stupid questions, but from the ones you've asked it sounds like you are getting all worked up worrying about how dangerous it is here. Might I suggest it is probably not even as dangerous as where you live now, or probably have ever lived?

Las Vegas is not only a pretty safe city, generally speaking, it is also a very pleasant place to live.

Here you'll never see a tornado, hurricane, mudslide, earthquake, blizzard, forest fire, plague, pestilence, boils, fleas, mosquitoes, tsunami, HUMID DAY, snakes, nasty critter (although my wife claims to have seen a mouse getting into our birdseed on the patio), ticks, chiggers, or any of those nasty things that torment people everywhere but here.

It is a city of vast conveniences. Whatever you want whenever you want it. Temps get above 110º two or three months of the year, but with NO HUMIDITY, it ain't all that bad. We do get the monsoons in summer that come out of the Pacific, but sometimes they either don't make it all the way to our neck o'the cactus, or they lose most of their moisture before they get here.

Our annual rainfall is 4.3 inches a year ─ that's less than you get in one day. Even when pouring down rain in July it most likely won't be as humid as it is right now where you are.

We have over 300 days of sunshine per year. Clouds don't like the desert.

This is one of the most scenic places in the country, and is within a relatively short distance from the country's most spectacular outdoor attractions. You can snow ski a 40 minute drive from town, up to the end of April, when the temps in town are in the 80's. And you can water ski in the country's largest man made lake the same day.

There are 2 million people in Las Vegas. Most of them love it here for the things I mentioned, as well as the live and let live attitude of Nevada that gives you more freedom to be yourself than you've probably ever experienced in your life. And, most of those 2 million people were not murdered in their sleep last night, and many of them are out taking a walk, and enjoying the sunshine today, even though it is breezy.

I hope this makes you feel better about moving to Las Vegas, and I know you'll feel welcome here. Your problem will be that you will probably never want to leave if your husband is transferred again.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Local thunderstorms come in two types.."why bother" and "oh my god"

"oh my god" are rare...but you will remember. Try august 19, 2003...

And they are pretty localized...sort of. There are flash floods sometimes in desert communities, but you can avoid those areas. Knock wood, but I've had water reach the front door stoop once in 45 years. That was because of a stupid HOA control freak damming up the run off. Both problems have been corrected.

Usually we get three feet of rain at a time...that means there's a drop every three feet. You might have to jump around to get wet. But monsoons can bring enough rain to flood streets, and it can run over into homes, but the city/county flood control channels/basins have just about ended that problem.

There are huge flood control basins around town. Most of the time they are bone dry, so most of them are used for soccer fields, and dog parks when it isn't raining...which means all but maybe fifteen days a year...if that much. A Las Vegas oddity is those flood basin parks and soccer fields have to have lawn sprinklers for the grass. Only in Vegas... Ha.

[hockeygirl4]

Agreed, around spring (March-April) and July - Sept/Oct it does get windy occasionally. And I thought it was only when I wanted to go for a bike ride all last year...my first here in Vegas. Never failed, worked until 3pm...observed no wind, 3pm, palm trees are sideways! lol It's just annoying at times.

As far as thunderstorms go, I was hoping to catch a desert thunderstorm last year and we had maybe 1 or 2 good ones, but they rolled through so quickly (see above...due to wind) that there was hardly any lightning.

[altushansens]

Thank you Buzz! That reply is very much appreciated...all of them are! I have gotten some rotten opinions on Vegas but I'm no longer gonna pay any attention to them. Glad to have found this forum.

Humidity hates me and I hate it even more. I can deal with heat but not humidity. I'm spending the summer with in-laws in southern OH and let me just tell you how miserable I'll be in that humidity...oh well, it helps my skin...ha.

Bugs...YUCK. I think I've seen everything I can here in podunk OK. Scorpions in the sink, black widows...I HATE bugs...oh yeah...the snake in my neighbors' house. I woulda you know what a brick if that were in my house. I'm used to the bugs. Looking forward to some thunderstorms before I get outta here!

Thanks again!