Smoky skies to continue across Las Vegas tonight

By Dave Toplikar

Published Monday, Aug. 31, 2009 | 5:58 a.m.

Updated Monday, Aug. 31, 2009 | 5:03 p.m.

Another night of patchy smoke is in store for the Las Vegas Valley, according to the national weather service.

The smoke originating from the Station fire in southern California will likely continue to affect much of the area tonight into Tuesday, the weather service said.

Forecasters said visible satellite imagery showed the plume, as of early this afternoon, was heading toward the southern end of Death Valley National Park.

Visibilities could be below six miles in some areas overnight into early Tuesday morning, especially where the plume drifts directly, the weather service said.

Except for the smoke, tonight's skies will be mostly clear, with a low of around 82 degrees, forecasters said.

Winds will be from the west from 17 to 20 mph, gusting as high as 26 mph, the weather service said.

The forecast calls for the temperature to fall to 82 degrees overnight. But it will be hotter than normal again on Tuesday, with the temperature risting to a high of near 105 degrees, forecasters said.

The valley could feel some effects from Hurricane Jimena Wednesday and Thursday if moisture moves up from the Baha peninsula, the weather service said.

If that occurs, then the chances increase for showers and thunderstorms, with flash flooding being the main threat, forecasters said.

There's a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms both Wednesday and Thursday, forecasters said.

The weather service says afternoon temperatures will be hotter than normal in Las Vegas again today, with the high reaching 105 degrees. The normal high for this date is 99 degrees and the record was 112, set in 1948.

Sunday's high of 105 degrees was 6 degrees hotter than the normal high of 99 degrees for that date, but well below the record of 112 degrees set in 1948, according to the weather service.