Cooler weather expected for holiday

Friday, May 28, 2004 | 9:14 a.m.

Memorial Day weekend may be the unofficial start of summer, but weather forecasters said the Las Vegas Valley will experience cooler temperatures and gusty winds today through Saturday.

The winds, low humidity and dry air have combined to prompt a fire watch in Southern Nevada this weekend.

And the Clark County Air Quality Division issued an advisory for blowing dust because 20-30 mph winds are expected with gusts at 40 mph or higher, said John Koswan, supervisor of planning and projects for the division. The Las Vegas Valley currently does not meet the federal 24-hour air-quality standard for dust.

"Certainly when we have high winds dust gets kicked up from vacant lots and disturbed areas," Koswan said.

The Air Quality Division notified building contractors across the valley to water down their construction sites Thursday afternoon, Koswan said.

But no matter how much water is sprinkled on loose soils, if the wind reaches its predicted speed, children, seniors and those with chronic breathing conditions should stay indoors, health officials warned.

Public health officials also recommended that all residents limit outdoor exercise during dust storms.

In addition to wind gusts and dust, the valley will enjoy slightly cooler temperatures before the thermometer climbs to near 100 degrees next week.

Today's high is expected to reach 90 degrees. Saturday's daytime temperature is expected to drop into the 80s with continued winds between 15 mph and 20 mph.

By Monday the temperature is expected to reach the mid to high 90s, meteorologist Larry Jensen said in the forecast.

Although Lincoln and Nye counties may have some showers or thunderstorms this afternoon, Las Vegas is expected to remain dry.

Conditions were so dry that the weather service issued a fire watch for Southern Nevada, Jensen said. The new criteria alerts the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service of potentially dry, windy conditions in Southern Nevada's wildlands, he said. Conditions at Lake Mead are expected to be warm, but windy.

"It was nice and windy in the morning," National Park Service spokeswoman Roxanne Dey said about Thursday morning.

Dey said that boaters and swimmers should be cautious while on the lake.

"Wind conditions can change in seconds," Dey said.

Boats can drift away from swimmers or scuba divers in the wind or smaller craft can become swamped by wind-whipped waters, she said.