Election 2016: Dry weather to greet Nevada Republican Caucus voters on Tuesday

By Michael Kuhne, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

February 22,2016; 10:15PM,EST

 

 

The next step to nomination in the 2016 Presidential Election is on its way as candidate hopefuls await the results of the Republican caucus in Nevada set for Tuesday, Feb. 23.
Voters and organizers for Nevada's Republican Caucus on Tuesday will be greeted by dry weather.
"High pressure will keep things dry so voters heading out to the polls should see nearly ideal conditions for any travel in most of the state," AccuWeather Meteorologist Becky Elliott said.

"A northeasterly wind that will blow during the day with gusts between 25 and 35 mph will be subsiding in the evening for voters," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said. "The winds will definitely be an annoyance to those holding campaign signs earlier in the day."
Nevada's Republican caucuses will take place between 5 and 9 p.m. PST.
Temperatures will be near normal in eastern and southern parts of the state but above normal in western areas, including Reno.
"Voters in northeastern Nevada will want to bundle up as temperatures Tuesday evening will fall from the 30s into the 20s," Pydynowski said.
While wet weather is unlikely to dampen voter turnout in Nevada underneath some clouds, the race will stay heated.
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After GOP Presidential hopeful and billionaire entrepreneur Donald Trump won South Carolina's Republican primary on Saturday, attention has now turned to Nevada.
Inquisitr.com reported that Trump may just have the advantage over the other candidates in Nevada, a state where he has built much of his empire.
"The most recent Nevada poll by Gravis Marketing, conducted in late December, showed Trump in the lead, ahead of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz by 13 points," according to the Sun.
According to AccuWeather Business Intelligence Manager Rosemary Radich, data indicating if the weather impacts Nevada voters is not as clear as data for states facing lower temperatures this time of year.
"Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of data for Nevada, the closest we have is Oklahoma, and it looks like rain did not deter voters in the past," she said.
According to research conducted by AccuWeather Business Intelligence Manager and Meteorologist Tim Loftus, weather does impact some voters more than others in different states.
An election official holds a roll of voting stickers for the South Carolina Republican presidential primary at Forest Lake Park Gym in Columbia, S.C., Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Low temperatures, especially those below zero, have a major impact on voter turnout for both women, and younger voters aging from 18-34, Loftus said.
Loftus utilized L2 as a resource when conducting his research, which included analyzing weather trends and voter data to election seasons dating as far back as 1996.
According to Radich, it is usually the air temperature that influences people's decision of whether to head to the polls or not, rather than precipitation.
When it comes to voter turnout, it really depends on a variety of other factors, including the enthusiasm level for the candidates, how close the race is and the individual's campaign success, Radich said.
"It really impacts those who already are on the fence," she added.