Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Excessive heat warning issued for Las Vegas

High temperatures to climb above 100 degrees through Wednesday

Escaping the heat

In this June 2010 photo, parents and children enjoy the splash pad at Paseo Vista Park in Henderson. Launch slideshow »

Get ready for another scorcher -- temperatures are heading up to a high of 108 degrees today, which would tie a record set in 1955 for today's date, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service has issued an excessive heat warning until 8 p.m. for the Las Vegas area and for most of southern Nevada. The highest temperatures are expected to be 110 to 115 degrees along the Colorado River and 115 to 120 degrees in Death Valley, forecasters say.

The weather service said prolonged periods of very hot weather might lead to heat-releated illnesses if precautions aren't taken. It urges area residents to limit their outdoor activities to the early morning hours when the heat is not so intense.

Forecasters also urge drinking lots of water or other non-alcoholic beverages, wearing light-weight, light-colored clothing and spending more time in air-conditioned or well-ventilated places.

The weather service said the high pressure bringing the heat will slowly shift east on Tuesday. Afternoon winds will increase today, with winds up to 25 mph, and also on Tuesday ahead of an area of low pressure approaching the Pacific northwest coast.

Forecasters said that pattern will lead to persistent gusty southwest winds and a cooling trend for the latter part of the week. High temperatures could drop into the 90s Thursday and Friday and into the 80s on Saturday, forecasters said.

Several temperatures records were set on Sunday in Las Vegas -- the record high, the earliest time for 110-degree heat and warmest minimum daily temperatures.

McCarran International Airport, the official weather reporting site for Las Vegas, recorded 110 degrees at 3:10 p.m. Sunday, which was a new record for that date. The previous record for June 6 was 108 degrees, set in 2002, 1981 and 1979. The normal high temperature was 96 degrees.

Sunday was also the earliest time for Las Vegas to reach 110 degrees since records began being kept in 1937, forecasters said. The previous record for the earliest 110-degree temperature was June 8, 1955, when temperatures reached 111.

The third record set was the record high minimum temperature, which was 82 degrees at 5 a.m. Sunday. The previous high minimum for the date was 80 degrees, set in 2004.

At 4:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 87 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 70 degrees. The record low was 52 degrees, set in 1954 and 1950.

Around the valley just before 5 a.m., temperatures were 83 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 90 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 83 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.

Temperatures in the valley were to rise today to 93 degrees by 9 a.m., to 101 degrees by noon and reach a high of 108 degrees by 4 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 96 degrees and the record high was 108 degrees, set in 1955.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 107 degrees by 6 p.m., to 101 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 94 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Tuesday's morning low will be 85 degrees and Saturday's high will climb to 105 degrees, they said.

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