First 100-degree day of 2003 expected

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 | 9:32 a.m.

In a wacky year for weather in which January limped in like a lamb and April roared out like a lion, it is little surprise to forecasters that the first 100-degree day has not yet occurred in Las Vegas in 2003.

But that is expected to change Thursday and Friday with the first triple-digit days predicted for the valley, National Weather Service Las Vegas spokesman Brian Fuis said today.

"Our indicators are pointing to highs of 100 degrees for Thursday and Friday," said Fuis, who has been with the local weather service office for 13 years. "This sure has been such a strange year. We were fooled by such a warm January and it got much cooler after that."

There has never been a 100-degree day recorded in April in this desert community, but every day in May has record highs of 100 degrees or better, according to weather service records.

And while Thursday and Friday could see the mercury finally top the century plateau, Fuis said don't expect it to come close to the daily records of 108 for May 22 and 107 for May 23, both set during the heat wave of 2000.

Fuis said the 99-degree high predicted for today and the 100-degree temperatures predicted through Friday are about a dozen degrees above 30-year normals for this time of year.

However, he said, because of cold spells during the first 10 days of May, temperatures for the month so far are running an average of 1.9 degrees below normal.

"Trends usually balance out over a month," he said. "We are seeing the highs catching up to bring the month closer to normal."

Long-term expectations are for hot, sweltering days at least until the start of the second week in July.