Excessive heat warning Saturday for Las Vegas

By Dave Toplikar (contact)

Friday, Sept. 3, 2010 | 6:03 a.m.

Find some shade and a cool drink. Temperatures will hit 106 degrees today, and the National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for Saturday afternoon and early evening for the Las Vegas area.

Strong high pressure will remain over the area today through Saturday, resulting in hot temperatures for this time of year, the weather service said.

The heat warning is in effect from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, forecasters said.

Afternoon highs are expected to reach 108 degrees Saturday in the Las Vegas Valley, around 108 to 112 degrees from Mesquite south down the Colorado River, 108 degrees in Barstow and 119 degrees in Death Valley, forecasters said.

With recent high temperatures reaching only into the 90s last week and early this week, and it being so late in the summer, the human body is more susceptible to heat stress this time of year, forecasters said.

They recommended planning any outdoor activity in the morning or evening hours after sunset. They also recommend drinking plenty of fluids, but avoiding alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, which can increase the amount of water loss in the body and increase the risk of heat exhaustion or stroke.

A low pressure system will move across the region on Sunday, resulting in not-as-warm temperatures and gusty southwest winds, forecasters said. Afternoon temperatures will then drop to 104 degrees Sunday, before falling to 95 on Labor Day, forecasters said.

At 5:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 77 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 73 degrees. The record low was 55 degrees, set in 1946 and 1942.

Around the valley just before 6 a.m., temperatures were 75 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 72 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 71 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.

Temperatures in the valley were to rise today to 88 degrees by 9 a.m., to 100 degrees by noon and reach a high of 106 degrees by 2 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 98 degrees and the record high was 108 degrees, set in 1982, 1955 and 1950.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 103 degrees by 6 p.m., to 94 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 86 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Saturday's morning low will be 77 degrees and Saturday's high will climb to 108 degrees, they said.