Some like it hot: Onset of summer draws mixed reactions

Tuesday, May 28, 2002 | 11:07 a.m.

Is it hot yet?

Not as hot as it's going to get, according to the National Weather Service.

The first 100-degree day of the year is forecast for Thursday, after a spring that meteorologists called pretty normal.

The weather may dip back into the 90s for the next couple of weeks, forecaster Ernie Cobb said, but by mid-June locals and tourists alike can expect consistent 100-plus days.

Locals and tourists got their taste of what is to come over the Memorial Day weekend, when official temperatures headed into the 90s.

Monday's high of 93 degrees was perfect for some, and already overheated for others.

"It's gorgeous," Ohio resident Ralinda Stanger said as she watched the fountains at the Bellagio with her husband, Clay.

"It's too hot," Clay Stanger disagreed. "It's unbearable. I don't like hot weather, I like it in the 60s."

One recent transplant from Chicago, Jorge Piras, wondered if his family would be able to stand their first Las Vegas summer. He lounged in the shade as his four children and a few of their friends frolicked in the spray from aquatic turtles at Jaycee Park. Piras couldn't believe that it was 93 degrees outside.

"How hot does it get here?" Piras asked a reporter.

A whole lot hotter -- and usually a whole lot sooner.

"I would say 110 to 115 is almost a sure thing," meteorologist Cobb said of this summer's weather.

In fact, he added, usually Las Vegas has had its first 100-degree day long before now. The heat has come as early as May 1, he said.

Resident Amy Bunch beats the heat by taking her three kids to Wet 'n Wild, community pools or just by staying indoors.

"We are in the air conditioning inside if we are not at the pool," Bunch said. Her daughter looked miserable standing in line with her mother to get family season passes to the Strip water theme park, but Bunch thought the weather was perfect.

"The first of summer you acclimate yourself to it and you're like, 'Oh, it's hot,' " Bunch said. "But then by July, August -- nothing phases you."

Jim and Darlene DeCanio, who spent Memorial Day boating on Lake Mead, can't wait for the heat. They moved to Las Vegas from Chicago so they could boat more frequently.

"We love it when it gets 100 degrees, 110 degrees," Jim DeCanio said.

"If it gets under 100, we get chilled," DeCanio said.

Wet 'n Wild regular Barry Katcher said it wasn't hot at all.

"Maybe in July, August. Then it might get a little bit hot," said Katcher, a 30-year resident. "I love the hot weather, I hate the winters. As I always say, I'd rather boil than freeze."

Other Las Vegans agreed, telling Mother Nature to bring on the heat.

"It's not quite hot enough yet," eight-year resident Steve Tidwell said. "I like it over 100 -- I'm a desert rat."

Tourists familiar with the city's weather appreciated the Memorial Day breeze. Some from the Midwest even welcomed the warmth.

"In Michigan it's still freezing in the evening, so this is wonderful," Nancy Sharnas said at the Bellagio fountains. "It's not hot at all, very comfortable."

Meanwhile, locals soaked up the sun on one of the last remaining 90-degree days of spring.

"I like it just like this," Tammy Hartman said, glancing at the Sahara clock from her lounge chair near the Royal Flush ride at Wet 'n Wild. "It's 93 degrees -- this is perfect."