Cooler temperatures lingering in Las Vegas

By Dave Toplikar (contact)

Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 | 5:59 a.m.

Las Vegas gets another break from 100-degree weather today — the hottest part of the afternoon will reach only into the mid 90s, according to the National Weather Service.

Low pressure over Utah will bring temperatures today that are near to slightly below normal through Wednesday, the weather service said.

This morning's temperatures at McCarran International Airport were starting out in the low 70s and were expected to reach only 93 degrees by late afternoon, forecasters said.

That's just under the normal high for this date of 94 degrees. The record high for today's date was 107, set in 2000. Monday's high at McCarran reached only 89 degrees, which was six degrees below the normal high of 95 degrees for that date.

Along with those cooler temperatures, there's also a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms in eastern Lincoln County in Nevada and northern Mohave County in Arizona, forecasters said.

As the storms move away later in the week, high pressure returns and temperatures will start climbing back to well above normal -- into the triple digits -- starting Friday, the weather service said.

The highs are expected to reach 102 degrees Friday through Monday, forecasters said.

The fall season, which begins Tuesday, Sept. 22, will be off to a warm start with temperatures that will be about 10 degrees above normal, the weather service said.

The autumnal equinox will be at 2:18 p.m. next Tuesday, marking the time when the sun is over the equator and the days are approximately the same length as the night.