October arrives with summer-like heat

By Mary Manning

Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008 | 6:46 a.m.

No matter what the calendar says about October arriving today, summer-like temperatures linger through Friday.

September did set a record for heat as the third warmest on record, the National Weather Service said, at 84.8 degrees Fahrenheit at McCarran International Airport, the official weather station for the Las Vegas Valley.

The other two records were set in 1979 when the month's average reached 85.3 degrees and 2001 when the average monthly high hit 85.1 degrees.

The warm ranking this year was aided and abetted by a string of five days above 100 degrees: Sept. 2 through Sept. 6: 102, 102, 105, 104 and 102, the weather service said.

It's been above 90 degrees all month, dipping down to 91 degrees once on Sept. 22.

The warmer temperatures continue today with 96 to 98 degrees and lows from 72 to 74 degrees tonight through Friday.

For the weekend a storm system may sweep through Southern Nevada with winds and even some rain showers in the valley.

On Saturday night snow levels are dropping to 8,000 feet for Southern Nevada, so any rainfall could dust the Spring Mountains with an early snow, forecasters said.

Sunday's high is expected to be 80 to the low 80s and lows over the weekend in the valley are expected in the low 60s.

Next week temperatures could warm up to the upper 80s or even a 90 degree day to two.