Jan 15 2007

The Big Freeze

by Megan Edwards
We have Ice!We have ice!

Easily the number one question I get asked by people who don’t live here is, “How do you stand the heat?” It’s a good question, but there’s another one on my mind right now. It goes something like this: “What the !#%@!! is all that water gushing down my driveway?” Somehow, I never dreamed I’d be dealing with a pipe leak caused by a hard freeze in the land of endless summer. I’m used to paying for ice at the convenience store, not cracking it off my front porch.

I am fully aware, of course, that summer does end in southern Nevada. Usually on a day in early September, it leaves as abruptly as a slamming door. One day, the sidewalks are hot enough to kill salmonella, and the next, I’m digging into the dark end of my closet for a turtleneck.

Today, however, I needed more than a turtleneck. I dug out my Canadian snow boots and the heaviest sweater I own. Yeah, I could turn up the heat, but I’ve decided to pretend I’m camping in the tundra. It sounds more exciting than saying I can’t take a shower or flush the toilet until the plumber gets here tomorrow.

Watch for IceWatch for Ice

I was hoping the cold snap might mean a snowstorm on the Strip, but so far, there’s been little precipitation. I drove around a bit this afternoon looking for frozen phenomena, but the most dramatic thing I saw was a partially iced-over waterfall at the entrance to Anthem. That is, unless you count the “Watch for Ice” sign not far from my house. The fact that Clark County owns such signs is a clear indicator that cold weather in southern Nevada isn’t all that rare. It may not happen every year, and it may not be as impressive as temperatures capable of frying eggs. But even if it’s only to prove beyond doubt that it isn’t hell, Sin City does occasionally freeze over.

Leave a Reply