Near-record temperatures heating up Las Vegas

Forecasters expecting highs to be in 80s this week

Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009 | 6:34 a.m.

Sun weather

Current conditions, today's forecast, neighborhood weather conditions, historical climatological information

You can leave you coat at home today -- another near-record warm day is in the works for the Las Vegas Valley.

The National Weather Service is expecting today's high temperature to hit 82 degrees this afternoon, which is just below the record high for Nov. 3 of 85 degrees, set in 1976. The normal high for today's date is 72 degrees.

The warm weather is being kept in place by a ridge of high pressure over the region, which will bring dry conditions, sunny skies, light winds and near-record temperatures to the valley through Thursday, forecasters said.

However, a storm system is moving in that will bring increasing winds, cooler temperatures and even a slight chance of rain on Sunday, forecasters said.

Temperatures were starting out today at 56 degrees at 5:56 a.m. at McCarran International Airport. The normal low for this date is 49 degrees and the record low is 26, set in 1943.

Temperatures will rise to 70 degrees by 9 a.m., to 77 by noon and hit 82 by 3 p.m., forecasters said.

Wednesday's morning low will be 54 degrees and Wednesday's high will reach 84 by 3 p.m. Thursday's morning low will be 56 degrees and Thursday's high will be near 85, the weather service said.