Record heat in valley giving way to possible mountain snow

By Kyle B. Hansen

Monday, June 7, 2010 | 3:44 p.m.

Las Vegans who want to get away from record-breaking temperatures needn’t look far – Mount Charleston is visible from the valley and might even see some fresh snow this weekend.

The National Weather Service says the mountain peak 35 miles west of the Las Vegas Valley has a slight chance of picking up snow showers Saturday night, when the low temperature is forecast to be about 33 degrees.

The temperature in Las Vegas was 105 degrees at 3 p.m. today and the high was forecast to reach 108 degrees. But Mount Charleston’s peak – at an elevation of 11,916 feet – is expected to top out at 65 degrees today, while the town of Mount Charleston has a forecast high of 85 degrees.

Even if valley residents can’t get to the mountains, the forecast still has some good news. By the time Mount Charleston could see snow this coming weekend, Las Vegas will also cool as temperatures are expected to drop nearly 20 degrees by the end of the week.

Las Vegas’ expected high is 105 degrees Tuesday, 101 on Wednesday, 95 on Thursday and 90 degrees Friday.

If the trend continues, temperatures this weekend should be much more comfortable than they were this past weekend, when Sunday, June 6, was the earliest date on record Las Vegas has reached the 110-degree mark.