Warmer week ahead for Las Vegas

By Dave Toplikar

Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010 | 5:05 a.m.

Cloudy, but warmer weather is heading to Las Vegas today — temperatures are expected to top out around 60 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

After several days of reaching highs only in the upper 40s and 50s, a ridge of high pressure over northwestern Mexico will send afternoon temperatures into the 60s through Saturday night to the area, the weather service said.

Although conditions in the Las Vegas Valley will be cloudy, but generally dry, a few snow showers and strong winds are possible along the Sierra crest beginning this afternoon, forecasters said.

Then a Pacific storm system is expected to move across the area late Sunday through Monday, bringing gusty winds and chances for valley rain and mountain snow, they said.

Temperatures in the valley were starting out this morning about normal for this time of year.

At 4:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 39 degrees, with a wind chill of 34 degrees. The normal low at McCarran for today's date is 39 degrees. The record low was 24 degrees, set in 1948 and 1945.

Around the valley just before 5 a.m., temperatures were 35 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 32 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 35 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.

Temperatures at McCarran were to rise today to 50 degrees by 9 a.m., to 58 degrees by noon and reach a high of 60 degrees by 1 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 60 degrees and the record high was 78 degrees, set in 1940.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 55 degrees by 6 p.m., to 53 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 50 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Friday's morning low will be 45 degrees and Friday's high will climb to 62 degrees, they said.