Las Vegas is getting a rare taste of real winter weather, with significant snowfall across the metro area for the first time in a decade.

The National Weather Service reported that there was 1in (2.5cm) of snow at McCarran International Airport.

The weather service said Las Vegas’s half an inch (1.3cm) of snow late on Wednesday was the first measurable snow on a February 20 since record keeping started in 1937.

A dusting of snow covers an area along the Las Vegas Strip
A dusting of snow along the Las Vegas Strip (John Locher/AP)

Las Vegas schools were open and the Nevada Highway Patrol said some areas had snow and ice but all motorways were open.

Forecasters said the snow accumulation could reach 3in on the city’s western and southern outskirts by Friday morning but that rain could reduce snow accumulations.