Highs to hit 70s in Las Vegas Valley

By Dave Toplikar

Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011 | 7:09 a.m.

Afternoon temperatures in the 70s and sunny skies are bringing a weather Valentine to the Las Vegas Valley today and Monday.

Above-normal temperatures will continue today and Monday under increasing clouds, according to the National Weather Service.

A significant storm system will move into the region during the rest of the week, the weather service said. That will bring increasing winds Tuesday, followed by a chance of rain and snow along with cooler temperatures Wednesday through Saturday, forecasters said.

Strong down-slope winds are expected late Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night below canyon openings along the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, forecasters said.

Rain and snow will move into the region Wednesday and Wednesday night, followed by more rain and snow Thursday night and Friday, forecasters said. Snow levels in the mountains will start out above elevations of 5,000 feet Wednesday, but will drop to eleveations of 3,000 feet Friday, forecasters said.

At 4:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 36 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 41 degrees. The record low was 20 degrees, set in 1949.

Around the valley just before 5 a.m., temperatures were 34 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 33 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 31 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.

Temperatures in the valley were to rise today to 52 degrees by 9 a.m., to 64 degrees by noon and reach a high of 71 degrees by 4 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 63 degrees and the record high was 79 degrees, set in 1957.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 65 degrees by 6 p.m., to 59 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 54 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Monday's morning low will be 46 degrees and Monday's high will climb to 75 degrees, they said.