Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009 | 7:27 a.m.
Sun weather coverage
Be prepared for smoky, windy and very hot conditions today in Las Vegas, according to the National Weather Service.
And if you're headed west or north of the Las Vegas Valley, be wary of the potential for range wildfires, forecasters said.
The weather service has issued a red flag wild fire warning from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. for areas north and west of the Las Vegas Valley, including the Clark County mountains.
Southwest winds will increase late this morning, with gusts of 35 to 40 mph expected for much of the afternoon, the weather service said.
The winds combined with low relative humidity and very high fire danger will produce critical fire weather conditions, the weather service said.
The weather service said areas of smoke from the Station wildfire in southern California will affect much of the Mojave Desert today, including parts of northwest Arizona, California and southern Nevada.
The smoke will make tonight's sunset colorful, but people with respiratory illnesses may want to stay indoors today, the weather service said.
Today's high temperature for the Las Vegas Valley will be 108 degrees. The normal high for today is 99 degrees and the record high is 112 degrees, set in 1948.
Saturday's high temperature climbed to 109 degrees, which was 10 degrees above normal and just below the record of 110 degrees set for that date in 1948.
Winds will be calm early in the valley, then pick up from the southwest between 17 and 20 mph and gust as high as 28 mph today, forecasters said.
Temperatures will decline a little Monday through the middle of the week, but will still be several degrees above normal, forecasters said.
Highs will be 106 degrees Monday, 103 Tuesday, 104 Wednesday and 105 Thursday, the weather service said.
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