Clear skies ahead through weekend for Las Vegas

By Dave Toplikar

Thursday, June 17, 2010 | 5:27 a.m.

Break out the sunscreen and head for the pool — Las Vegas will be sunny today, with afternoon temperatures climbing only to the low 90s.

Although records show temperatures normally hit the triple digits on this date, a broad trough of low pressure will be over the area into the weekend, allowing daytime temperatures to remain below normal through Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

Clear skies are expected through the weekend, the weather service said.

Winds will be light today, but winds will pick up on Friday and the strongest winds will move in Saturday, with gusts up to 23 mph in the Las Vegas Valley and 30 mph across parts of the Mohave Desert, forecasters said.

At 4:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 74 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 73 degrees. The record low was 32 degrees, set in 1953.

Around the valley just before 5 a.m., temperatures were 69 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 73 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 67 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.

Temperatures in the valley were to rise today to 79 degrees by 9 a.m., to 88 degrees by noon and reach a high of 92 degrees by 3 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 100 degrees and the record high was 113 degrees, set in 1940.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 91 degrees by 6 p.m., to 86 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 80 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Friday's morning low will be 74 degrees and Friday's high will climb to 99 degrees, they said.