With the start of fall already passed on Sept. 22, Las Vegas residents rolled their eyes. It was still 99 degrees Fahrenheit and the word “fall” seems like a lie.
So when I heard fall had come, after being born and raised in the Valley myself, the notion that Las Vegas had any seasons at all was a foreign thought. This intriguing idea pegged the question, how do other UNLV students view Vegas and its weather?
Now, traditionally there are only four seasons, such as fall, winter, spring and summer. In Las Vegas, however, there is really only fall and winter, where the temperature spikes to unmanageable heat and drops to frigid colds.
To help support the notion of Las Vegas only having two seasons, instead of the standard four for other cities, we set up a poll on the Scarlet and Gray’s official Instagram, @unlvfreepress, to find out. Four questions were introduced, one for two seasons, three seasons, one season and finally four seasons.
“Vegas has 3 seasons: rain, mild wind and death,” UNLV student Yovany Barrientos said. “I’ve survived here all of my life and those are the only things that happen.”
With 96 voters participating, it was shown that a majority of UNLV students, with 66 votes, believed there to be only two seasons. In second place, we had one season, third was three seasons, followed by four seasons being the least voted for among students.
“Well, yes and no, we have seasons but only are limited to two,” Noel Martinez said. “Winter and summer, you never really enjoy either. As soon as you become acclimated to the cold, summer slaps you in the face and makes you miss winter. Both are missed when they aren’t in season but neither are loved when you’re experiencing them.”
The problem is that Las Vegas has unpredictable, crazy weather. On Dec. 17, 2008, there was a massive snowstorm. We did not get another one in the valley until 2019, but even then, it was not impressive.
Las Vegas is also notorious for quick rainstorms that last maybe five minutes, if we’re lucky, and dry even quicker. The Valley also has crazy winds, thunderstorms and mini dust storms that, no matter how many times they occur, still confuse locals to this day.
Then, don’t forget the 61-day streak of 100 degrees or hotter in 2020. Las Vegas is known for its scorching hot summer days and wind, and there can be rare years when locals receive some nice 70 to 80-degree weather in the “fall” and “spring” months.
Overall, Las Vegas has no definite number of seasons because it is always changing. In some years, there is a nice cool transition into winter, and in others, the Valley goes straight from hot then cold. While two seasons seems like the obvious winner, Las Vegas is truly a mystery when it comes to its drastic seasons.
