Heat wave has ‘no end in sight’; highs could hit 115 degrees this week

By Riley Snyder

Tuesday, June 25, 2013 | 11:26 a.m.

The record-breaking heat waves rolling through the Las Vegas Valley and Southern Nevada in June will continue over the weekend, with temperatures threatening to reach highs of 115 degrees.

The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat watch for most of Southern Nevada from Friday through Monday due to a strong ridge of high pressure settling over the state, Las Vegas Weather Forecast Meteorologist Reid Wolcott said. Highs are projected to be upwards of 115 degrees while lows could possibly stay above 90 degrees overnight, he said.

And though this isn’t the first excessive heat warning issued this June, Wolcott said the weekend’s heat wave is unusual because of its projected length and lack of relief throughout the night.

“We’re just sitting here looking at the long-range models, and it doesn’t appear to have any end in sight,” he said. “It’s out of the ordinary.”

Record-high temperatures for Friday, Saturday and Sunday were set at 115 degrees in 1994, and Monday’s record stands at 116 degrees and was set in 1972, Wolcott said.

All of those records could be threatened by the heat wave, which could be extended or lessened by some projected cloud cover, Wolcott said. The appearance of clouds during the day could provide relief, but clouds at night could act as a blanket and keep temperatures up, he said.

Forecasters are still determining exactly when and where cloud cover could occur, he said.

Another excessive heat warning was issued earlier in June, when a record-breaking heat wave hit temperatures up to 112 degrees.

Wolcott said the weekend’s temperatures are well above the average for the end of June, which is in the low 100s.

Because the high night temperatures are so unusual, Wolcott advised people to take extra precautions over the weekend, including to keep hydrated and to stay indoors as much as possible.

“If you don’t have relief at night, it’s going to be a real tough go,” he said.