UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 5 ANNUAL STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP ( ) Check box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instructions 1(b). ( ) Form 3 Holdings Reported ( ) Form 4 Transactions Reported 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person Lowman, James F. 5241 Spring Mountain Road Las Vegas, NV 89102 USA 2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol Southwest Gas Corporation SWX 3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary) 4. Statement for Month/Year December 1998 5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year) 6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) ( ) Director ( ) 10% Owner (X) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below) Senior Vice President/Central Arizona Division 7. Individual or Joint/Group Reporting (Check Applicable Line) (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1. Title of Security |2. |3. |4.Securities Acquired (A) |5.Amount of |6.Dir |7.Nature of Indirect | |Transaction| or Disposed of (D) | Securities |ect | Beneficial Ownership | |Date |Code| | Beneficially |(D)or | | | | | | A/| | Owned at |Indir | | | | | Amount | D | Price | End of Year |ect(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Common Stock | | | | | |7,390 (4) |I |401(k) Plan | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | |100 (5) |I |Custodian for | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | | | | | |children | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Common Stock | | | | | |9,155 (6) |D | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Table II -- Derivative Securitites Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| 1.Title of Derivative |2.Con |3. |4. |5.Number of De |6.Date Exer|7.Title and Amount |8.Price|9.Number |10.|11.Nature of| Security |version |Transaction rivative Secu |cisable and| of Underlying |of Deri|of Deriva |Dir|Indirect | |or Exer |Date |Code| rities Acqui |Expiration | Securities |vative |tive |ect|Beneficial | |cise Pr | | | red(A) or Dis |Date(Month/| |Secu |Securities |(D)|Ownership | |ice of | | | posed of(D) |Day/Year) | |rity |Benefi |or | | |Deriva | | | |Date |Expir| | |ficially |Ind| | |tive | | | | A/|Exer-|ation| Title and Number | |Owned at |ire| | |Secu | | | | D |cisa-|Date | of Shares | |End of |ct | | |rity | | | Amount | |ble | | | |Year |(I)| | ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Employee Stock Option |$15 |7/15/|A |15,000 |A |(1) |7/14/|Common Stock|15,000 | |15,000 |D | | | |96 | | | | |06 | | | | | | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| (right to buy) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Employee Stock Option |$19.125 |7/15/|A |3,750 |A |(2) |7/14/|Common Stock|3,750 | |3,750 |D | | | |97 | | | | |07 | | | | | | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| (right to buy) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Employee Stock Option |$23.0625|7/21/|A |3,750 |A |(3) |7/21/|Common Stock|3,750 | |3,750 |D | | | |98 | | | | |08 | | | | | | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| (right to buy) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Explanation of Responses: (1) The option vests in three annual installments of 6,000 shares in 1997, 4,500 shares in 1998, and 4,500 shares in 1999, beginning on July 15, 1997. (2) The option vests in three annual installments of 1,500 shares in 1998, 1,125 shares in 1999, and 1,125 shares in 2000, beginning on July 15, 1998. (3) The option vests in three annual installments of 1,500 shares in 1999, 1,125 shares in 2000, and 1,125 shares in 2001, beginning on July 21, 1999. (4) Includes 190 shares acquired June through December 1998 pursuant to the dividend reinvestment feature of the SWX 401(k) plan. (5) Includes 3 shares acquired June through December 1998 pursuant to the dividenD reinvestment plan. (6) Includes 219 shares acquired June through December 1998 pursuant to the dividend reinvestment feature of SWX restricted stock plan, and 40 shares acquired pursuant to the dividend reinvestment plan. SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON /s/James F. Lowman by Faye J. Ringler, Attorney in fact DATE 2/1/99