Red flag fire warning, wind advisory coming Thursday

Noelle McMahon / Special to the Sun

A wildfire burned the weekend of July 18-19, 2009, near Mount Charleston after several lightning strikes started fires just outside the Las Vegas Valley.

By Dave Toplikar (contact)

Published Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009 | 6:29 a.m.

Updated Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009 | 3:53 p.m.

Be careful where you toss your cigarette butts -- there's a high danger Thursday of outdoor fires catching and spreading quickly, says the National Weather Service.

And, if you're on the road Thursday, watch out for high winds and blowing dust, too.

This afternoon the weather service issued a wind advisory from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday. That goes along with the red flag warning it had already issued for the same period because of the fire danger associated with highs winds and low humidity moving in just before noon Thursday to the Las Vegas Valley.

Forecasters expect the humidity to be about 15 percent and south to southwest winds of 20 to 30 mph Thursday, with gusts from 45 to more than 50 mph.

Such strong winds may lift dust and sand and temporarily reduce visibility, which could create problems for motorists, especially those driving high-profile vehicles, the weather service said. Motorists should use extra caution and be alert to rapidly changing conditions, the weather service said.

Forecasters said an unseasonably strong area of low pressure will move toward northern California today and Thursday, bringing increasing southwest winds and dry air to southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and the Colorado River valley.

Today will be mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 107 degrees, forecasters said. The average temperature for this date is 104 degrees and the record high was 113 in 1969.

Winds today will start out at 5 to 8 mph, then become south-southwest between 15 and 18 mph and gusting as high as 26 mph, forecasters said.

On top of Thursday's red flag warning, a wind advisory will probably be needed for much of the Mojave Desert as the area will experience wind gusts in excess of 40 mph, the weather service said. Thursday's high temperature will be 101, forecasters said.

Much cooler temperatures will move in Friday and Saturday. Friday's high is expected to be 91 degrees, while Saturday's high will be 94, forecasters said.