Las Vegas Sun

February 12, 2012

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Las Vegas under excessive heat warning

Temperatures to hit a high of 108 today, forecasters say

By Dave Toplikar (contact)

Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010 | 6:12 a.m.

Sun Coverage

Keep your water bottle filled and find some shade or air conditioning today — the National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for the Las Vegas area.

The excessive heat warning will be in effect from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. today for elevations below 4,000 feet in Southern Nevada, Southeast California and Northwest Arizona, the weather service said.

Temperatures are expected to reach a high of about 108 degrees in the Las Vegas Valley, around 109 to 113 degrees from Mesquite south down the Colorado River, 108 degrees in Barstow and 119 degrees in Death Valley, forecasters said.

With recent high temperatures being in the 90s earlier this week and it being so late in the summer, more people can experience heat stress at this time of year, forecasters said. They recommended planning any outdoor activity in the morning or evening hours after sunset.

The weather service recommends staying in the shade as much as possible and drinking an adequate amount of water. Forecasters recommend wearing light-colored and loose-fitting clothing. Clark County officials have opened more cooling stations today for those looking for shelter from the heat.

The excessive heat is being triggered by a high pressure system that will remain over the area for one more day.

Then the high pressure will be pushed to the south on Sunday as an area of low pressure moves through the northern Great Basin, forecasters said.

Southwest winds will kick up on Sunday afternoon, while afternoon temperatures will climb to 103 degrees, they said. As the low pressure system moves in, temperatures will climb to 96 on Labor Day and 96 on Tuesday, forecasters said.

At 5:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 81 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 73 degrees. The record low was 57 degrees, set in 1941.

Around the valley just before 6 a.m., temperatures were 77 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 73 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 79 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.

Temperatures in the valley were to rise today to 88 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 98 degrees and the record high was 111 degrees, set in 1947.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 106 degrees by 6 p.m., to 96 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 88 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Sunday's morning low will be 79 degrees and Saturday's high will climb to 103 degrees, they said.

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