Las Vegas sizzles in high heat, isolated showers

By Dave Toplikar (contact)

Published Friday, July 16, 2010 | 6:12 a.m.

Updated Friday, July 16, 2010 | 4:40 p.m.

Despite some isolated showers this afternoon, dangerously hot temperatures climbing to near 115 degrees were expected to bake Las Vegas today and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service has issued an excessive heat warning from noon today to 9 p.m. Saturday for much of the Mojave Desert, including the Las Vegas Valley.

Around the valley just before 4 p.m., temperatures were 110 degrees at McCarran International Airport, 109 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 111 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 111 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport. The normal high for today's date is 104 degrees and the record high was 116 degrees, set in 1998.

Temperatures are expected to be 110 degrees at 6 p.m., then drop to 104 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 98 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Saturday's morning low will be 90 degrees and Saturday's high will climb to 113 degrees, they said.

Some isolated rain was falling in parts of the valley shortly before 2 p.m., including the Green Valley area from I-215 to I-515, according to Sun staff members and the weather service's radar.

A look at some of the weather service's reporting stations shortly before 2 p.m. around the valley showed temperatures ranging as high as 114 degrees in Henderson at Warm Springs Road and Boulder Highway to as cool as 105 degrees near Blue Diamond Road and South Jones Boulevard in the southwestern part of the valley.

The combination of hot temperatures and higher-than-normal humidity will create situations where heat exhaustion and heat stroke are possible, the weather service said. Forecasters recommend checking on relatives and friends.

Expected high temperatures are 108 to 115 degrees in the Las Vegas Valley, around 112 degrees at Pahrump and Barstow, 115 to 118 degrees from Mesquite south down the Colorado River Valley to Lake Havasu City, 122 to 125 degrees at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park and 104 to 106 degrees at Kingman, forecasters said.

The hottest temperatures will occur within the Colorado River Valley and Death Valley National Park, forecasters said. They recommend planning outdoor activities in the early morning or in the evening after sunset.

A strong area of high pressure over the area is bringing in the hot temperatures, forecasters say. Also, increasing monsoonal moisture is also leading to higher relative humidity, which could lead to heat illnesses, they said.

Moisture trapped under the high pressure will lead to isolated afternoon and evening thunderstorms each day, mainly over and near the mountains, including the Spring Mountains, forecasters said.

The town of Mount Charleston has a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11 a.m. today, with high afternoon temperatures expected to reach 88 today and 89 Saturday, forecasters said.

An excessive heat watch is in effect for Sunday for the Las Vegas area, but temperatures will drop a few degrees Monday through Thursday as a dry southwest flow pushes moisture away from the area.

Thursday's high was 113 degrees at 2:42 p.m., which was just one degree below the record of 114 for that date, last set in 1949.

At 5:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 92 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 78 degrees. The record low was 65 degrees, set in 1944.