Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011 | 5:36 a.m.
Sun weather coverage
Be ready for crosswinds on the highway — strong and gusty north winds up to 50 mph are blustering through the Las Vegas area this morning.
About 5 a.m., the Red Rock Canyon area was reporting 50 mph gusts, while gusts of 31 mph were recorded at both McCarran International Airport and Nellis Air Force Base, according to the National Weather Service.
Temperatures are taking a drop today, with highs falling about 10 degrees: from 70 degrees Monday to about 60 degrees today, the weather service said.
The weather service has issued a wind advisory until 10 a.m. today for the area, with strong winds persisting throughout the day down the Colorado River Valley before decreasing tonight.
The advisory area includes Clark and southern Nye counties in Nevada, northern Mohave County in Arizona and the eastern Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County in California.
Winds will be from the north at 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 50 mph, the weather service said. By 10 a.m., winds will decrease to less than 40 mph, forecasters said.
Higher gusts are expected over mountainous terrain, they said.
Forecasters said crosswinds are expected to be strong enough to make driving difficult, especially for high-profile vehicle. They also said the winds will be strong enough to move trash cans and other loose or lightweight outdoor objects.
At 4:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 49 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 40 degrees. The record low was 25 degrees, set in 1949 and 1948.
Around the valley just before 5 a.m., temperatures were 48 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 49 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 48 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.
Temperatures in the valley were to rise today to 5 degrees by 9 a.m., to 57 degrees by noon and reach a high of 60 degrees by 3 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 62 degrees and the record high was 76 degrees, set in 1996.
Temperatures are expected to drop to 53 degrees by 6 p.m., to 47 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 42 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.
Wednesday's morning low will be 38 degrees and Wednesday's high will climb to 59 degrees, they said.
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