The Wind in Las VegasLas Vegas weather is fantastic, if you don't demand a white Christmas. Until you live here, though, you won't learn about... The wind. Winds of 30 to 40 miles per hour happen frequently, and gusts to more than 60 are not uncommon. I am not talking about hurricanes, or major storms. Just normal winds on an otherwise beautiful, sunny day.
Last weekend, in fact, after such a wind, we discovered all of our patio furniture had gathered at the east side of our yard; some of it having traveled more than 40 feet to get there. You learn quickly, not to leave the chaise directly upwind from the swimming pool. One more thing. Never leave an open umbrella unattended.
Empty trash cans are another favorite target for the wind. Unless you keep yours in the garage, when the wind blows hard, it will either tip over, or migrate to a new location. If it is contained on your property, this may not be too bad, but if it has been left in the street for pick up, you may never see it again. This is especially true if your trash pick up is at 7:30AM and you don't get home from work until 5:00PM. We have those large, rectangular shaped cans on wheels, with a lid. They're fairly heavy, don't roll easily after they've been blown over, and the open lid acts as sort of a brake.
If you are a fan of holiday decorations, you will find they need to be anchored securely. Very securely. My wife likes the airblown figures, and we have learned the little screw-in anchors are about useless. I now drive large spikes into the ground to hold them in place. Even so, when the winds blow hard, we deflate them until it's done.
The wind creates another phenomenon. One that I believe is unique to Las Vegas. The flying grocery bag. In other cities, you might find these plastic bags blown up against fences, or low walls. In Las Vegas, they sail by at altitudes that endanger small aircraft. I have actually seen as many as five of them flying in formation.
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