Temperatures plunge in Las Vegas

By Dave Toplikar

Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009 | 7:16 a.m.

Wind chills in the 30s arrived in Las Vegas this morning, following a cold front that passed through the city on Saturday.

The gusty north winds will continue today along the Colorado River Valley, while below-normal temperatures keep the Las Vegas Valley cool, according to the National Weather Service.

A wind advisory remains in effect until 4 p.m. this afternoon for Lake Havasu and Fort Mohave, Lake Mead National Recreation Center and the San Bernardino County Upper Colorado River Valley.

Wind speeds of 29 to 30 mph, with gusts up to 45 mph are expected, especially in narrow channels, the weather service said. Operators of small boats are urged to postpone their outings because waves generated by the winds could swamp and capsize a small craft, forecasters said.

This morning in the Las Vegas area, temperatures were starting at 42 degrees at 5:56 a.m. at McCarran International Airport, with a northeast wind at 10 mph, which made the wind chill 36 degrees.

The normal low for today is 44 degrees and the record low is 24 degrees, set in 1938.

The weather service says that temperatures will climb to 52 degrees by 9 a.m., and will reach a high of 59 degrees at noon, then drop off to 58 degrees by 3 p.m. and to 51 by 6 p.m. The normal high for today's date is 66 degrees and the record high was 82, set in 1981.

Overnight, temperatures will drop to a low of 38 degrees by 6 a.m. Monday, and Monday's high will be 62 degrees about noon, forecasters said.

Temperatures will fall to a low of 41 by early morning Tuesday and will climb to a high of 68 on Tuesday, forecasters said.