Warm temperatures set record in Las Vegas

By Dave Toplikar

Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010 | 5:52 a.m.

Put Wednesday's high temperature into the Las Vegas weather record books — it broke a 34-year-old record.

And near-record heat is expected again today through the valley, according to the National Weather Service.

Wednesday's high at McCarran International Airport reached 86 degrees at 3:48 p.m., which was 14 degrees above normal and a new record for Nov. 3, the weather service said. The old record of 85 degrees was set in 1976. The normal temperature for that date is 72 degrees.

Sunny skies and another unusually warm afternoon is expected for the valley today, forecasters said.

A strong ridge of high pressure will bring occasional high clouds and send temperatures into the low 80s to the area today through Friday, they said.

The ridge will move east Saturday, allowing a weak Pacific low pressure system to move across the Southern Great Basin Saturday night, they said.

Then a much stronger system will lead to an increase in winds, a chance of showers and cooler temperatures Monday, forecasters said.

At 4:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran was 61 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 48 degrees. The record low was 26 degrees, set in 1956.

Around the valley just before 5 a.m., temperatures were 61 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 56 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 57 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.

Temperatures at McCarran were to rise today to 69 degrees by 9 a.m., to 79 degrees by noon and reach a high of 83 degrees by 2 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 71 degrees and the record high was 85 degrees, set in 1988 and 1980.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 79 degrees by 6 p.m., to 71 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 66 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Friday's morning low will be 60 degrees and Friday's high will climb to 82 degrees, they said.