Heat wave continues to bake Las Vegas, afternoon high expected to hit 112

By Dave Toplikar

Thursday, Aug. 25, 2011 | 5:37 a.m.

Grab a cold drink and find some air conditioning this afternoon — the National Weather Service says the record-breaking hot weather will remain in the Las Vegas Valley through Friday.

Temperatures are expected to exceed record highs by two degrees for today, reaching 112 degrees at McCarran International Airport, the area’s official weather recording station, the weather service said.

Temperatures in the valley will range from highs around 106 degrees on the west side to around 116 degrees on the east side, forecasters said.

A strong area of high pressure will remain over the Four Corner region through the end of the week, they said. The pattern will continue to produce a prolonged period of dangerously hot weather across the Mojave Desert region, they said.

The weather service said the expected highs in the region include 115 to 117 degrees in Lake Mead and Laughlin, 118 to 120 in Death Valley, 110 to 111 in Twentynine Palms, 115 to 117 in Lake Havasu City and 104 to 106 in Kingman.

Nighttime temperatures will also be well above normal, with lows dropping to between 85 and 90 degrees for many locations, forecasters said.

An excessive heat warning is issued when temperatures are forecast to reach dangerous levels that will stress the body if precautions are not taken. The weather service recommends wearing light-weight and loose-fitting clothing when possible and drinking plenty of weater.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air-conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Those suffering from heat stroke should treat it as an emergency and call 911, they said.

McCarran International Airport set a new high temperature record for Wednesday’s date, reaching 112 degrees at 1:29 p.m. , according to the weather service. The previous record for that date was 110 degrees in 1985.

At 4:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 88 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 78 degrees. The record low was 59 degrees, set in 1944, 1943 and 1937.

Around the valley just before 5 a.m., temperatures were 85 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 82 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 87 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.

Temperatures in the valley were to rise today to 96 degrees by 9 a.m., to 106 degrees by noon and reach a high of 112 degrees by 3 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 101 degrees and the record high was 110 degrees, set in 1985.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 111 degrees by 6 p.m., to 104 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 96 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Friday's morning low will be 87 degrees and Friday's high will climb to 108 degrees, they said.