Highs to hit upper 60s today in Las Vegas

By Dave Toplikar (contact)

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 | 6:27 a.m.

A winter storm that will bring as much as a half-foot of snow Friday to the mountains of northern Nevada is steering clear of the Las Vegas Valley.

Sunny skies and warmer-than-normal temperatures are on tap for the Las Vegas area today and Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

Light winds are expected this morning, becoming around 7 to 10 mph from the north to northwest, with just a few high clouds today over the valley, the weather service said.

Temperatures were starting out at 46 degrees at 5:56 a.m. at McCarran International Airport. The normal morning low for today's date is 43 degrees and the record low is 24 degrees, set in 1985 and 1938, according to weather service records.

The low was 41 degrees at 5:56 a.m. at the Henderson Executive Airport and 50 degrees at 5:53 a.m. the North Las Vegas Airport.

Forecasters say temperatures for the valley are expected to warm up to 56 degrees by 9 a.m., to 67 degrees by noon and top out at 69 degrees about 4 p.m. The normal high for today's date is 64 degrees and the record high was 78, set in 1976 and 1985.

Temperatures will drop off overnight to a low of 43 degrees by 6 a.m. Friday, then climb to a high of 70 degrees by 4 p.m. Friday, forecasters said.

Winds will pick up Friday night from the south southwest, between 10 and 14 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph, forecasters said.

Saturday's morning low will be around 47 degrees. Saturday's high will be near 68 degrees, with mostly sunny skies and west winds between 8 and 11 mph.

The winter storm expected in northern and central Nevada will bring those areas north of Tonapah increasing clouds and gusty south winds exceeding 45 mph today, the weather services said.

The cold front associated with the storm will move across the state Friday night, bringing rain changing to snow behind it, forecasters said.

A light accumulation of snow ranging up to 3 inches is possible in the northern and central Nevada valleys Friday night into Saturday morning, with the greatest accumulations expected north of Interstate 80, forecasters said. Mountainous areas near the Idaho border might receive up to 6 inches of snow, forecasters said.