Cool and windy today for Las Vegas, wildfire warning issued for Lake Mead

By Dave Toplikar

Friday, March 2, 2012 | 4:38 a.m.

Grab a jacket on the way out the door — gusty winds, with high temperatures reaching only the mid 50s are keeping Las Vegas cool today.

Although skies will be sunny, highs today in the area will be about 10 degrees below normal, ranging from around 51 on the west side of the valley to around 59 degrees on the east side, according to the National Weather Service.

Northerly winds will be 15 to 25 mph in the valley, the weather service said.

The weather service has issued a Red Flag Warning for the Colorado River Valley, including Lake Mead, for strong winds and low humidity that could spread wildfires.

Gusts over 40 mph are expected most of the day in the Colorado River Valley, where a wind advisory remains in effect through early this evening, forecasters said.

Boaters heading out to Lake Mead can expect dangerous conditions, with choppy waters and large waves that could capsize or swamp small crafts.

High pressure will bring warmer weather over the weekend, with temperatures climbing to the mid 60s on Saturday, the low 70s on Sunday and the mid 70s on Monday and Tuesday.

Then another storm could affect the area during, with cooler temperatures and a slight chance of showers moving in on Wednesday, forecasters said.

This morning’s low at McCarran was expected to be 45 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 47 degrees. The record low was 19 degrees, set in 1939.

Temperatures at McCarran were to rise today to 49 degrees by 9 a.m., to 538 degrees by noon and reach a high of 56 degrees by 3 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 67 degrees and the record high was 82 degrees, set in 1967.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 53 degrees by 6 p.m., to 47 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 45 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Saturday's morning low will be 40 degrees and Saturday's high will climb to 65 degrees, they said.