Sunny skies replace clouds after light rain in valley

By Dave Toplikar, Jackie Valley

Published Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011 | 7 a.m.

Updated Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011 | 12:13 p.m.

Temperatures will edge up slightly across the Las Vegas Valley this afternoon as clouds disappear and the sun returns.

Conditions will become mostly sunny this afternoon, with high temperatures reaching 46 degrees on the west side of the valley and the mid-50s on the east side of the valley, according to the National Weather Service.

Storms that left traces of rain across the valley this morning had cleared out by 11 a.m. By noon, the temperature had climbed to 50 degrees at McCarran International Airport.

The normal high for today's date is 64 degrees and the record high was 79 degrees, set in 1995.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 51 degrees by 6 p.m., to 45 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 42 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Overnight rainfall amounts around the valley before 6 a.m. included .01 of an inch at McCarran, .01 of an inch at North Las Vegas Airport, a trace at Nellis Air Force Base and .01 of an inch at Henderson Executive Airport.

At McCarran, another .01 of an inch of precipitation was recorded before 9 a.m. followed by a trace before 10 a.m.

The weather service said quiet weather, with a slow warming trend, can be expected Monday through Thursday. Another storm could affect the area next weekend, forecasters said.

Monday's morning low will be 39 degrees and Monday's high will climb to 58 degrees, they said.