Some Las Vegas area casinos are reporting minor damage the morning after a dusty storm swept through the region with howling winds topping 70 mph.
An MGM Resorts International official said today that a temporary wall at a Monte Carlo hotel-casino food court construction site collapsed about 4 p.m. Thursday.
Casino spokeswoman Yvette Monet says one person was treated for minor injuries, and it took workers about three hours to clear debris and reopen the food court.
At the Palms Casino Resort, spokeswoman Lori Nelson says windows were damaged in three unoccupied storage rooms in one high-rise tower west of the Las Vegas Strip.
The storm system prompted the National Weather Service to issue warnings of high wind and a dust storm; a dust advisory remains in place through this morning.
No serious injuries were reported, but widespread power outages scattered throughout Clark County Thursday left more than 40,000 NV Energy customers without power, according to the utility's website.
As of about 1:15 p.m. today, 3,405 customers were still without power. Crews were working as quickly as possible to restore service, but more winds today could cause additional outages, the utility said.
The National Weather Service said today that windy weather will continue into Saturday in much of Southern Nevada, California's San Bernardino County and northwest Arizona.
Gusts could again reach 50 mph in the deserts, and 65 mph in the mountains.
On Thursday afternoon, northbound Interstate 15 was shut down for about two hours at St. Rose Parkway after reports of semitrailers rolled over in the area. Officials warned motorists about low visibility and blowing dust on valley roads.
Dust reduced visibility to a mile or less, according to the weather service. Normal views of the Las Vegas Strip from outlying areas were obliterated.
High winds and poor visibility caused flight delays at McCarran International Airport on Thursday. Gusts at McCarran peaked at 60 mph, breaking a record set a little over five years ago, the weather service said.
Airport spokeswoman Christine Crews said the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a hold about 1 p.m. Thursday on departures of commercial flights from other airports to Las Vegas. The hold was lifted less than an hour later.
Near the Strip, motorists were momentarily trapped inside several vehicles when power lines fell on Koval Lane, between Flamingo Road and Harmon Avenue, Metro Police Officer Michael Rodriguez said. NV Energy removed the lines from the road, which was closed due to the incident.
Officials warned of possible damage to roofs and trees and dangerous driving conditions because of crosswinds and blowing dust.
The Clark County Department of Air Quality, meanwhile, issued a dust advisory through Friday morning. Dust can aggravate respiratory diseases, county officials said.
County air quality officials will continue to monitor conditions and post updates on the forecast page of the DAQ website.
Sun reporter Ricardo Torres-Cortez and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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