Hot again today, but thunderstorms moving in for weekend to Las Vegas

By Dave Toplikar

Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011 | 5:08 a.m.

If you like it hot in Las Vegas, you’ll enjoy the afternoon — sunny skies and triple-digit temperatures are on tap for later today, according to the National Weather Service.

Afternoon high temperatures in the Las Vegas Valley will range from 94 degrees on the west side of the valley to around 104 on the east side, the weather service said.

However, cooler weather, and even some chances of thunderstorms, are on the way for the weekend, forecasters said.

A low pressure system moving into Nevada today will destabilize the air mass, allowing for isolated thunderstorms to develop over the higher terrain of Mohave County and the southern Great Basin. Gusty winds will be the primary threat from those storm, forecasters said.

Thunderstorm coverage will gradually increase Friday through Saturday as the low pressure system moves into California, they said.

Scattered thunderstorms are expected over the mountains Friday, with isolated thunderstorms moving in over much of the desert area, they said.

Scattered to numerous thunderstorms are then expected across the entire area Saturday, with those storms having the potential to produce heavy rain, hail and gusty winds, they said.

Thunderstorm chances will continue Sunday through Wednesday as the low pressure system remains nearly stationary, they said.

At 4:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 78 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 74 degrees. The record low was 56 degrees, set in 1965.

Around the valley just before 5 a.m., temperatures were 76 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 80 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 73 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.

Temperatures in the valley were to rise today to 87 degrees by 9 a.m., to 96 degrees by noon and reach a high of 102 degrees by 1 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 97 degrees and the record high was 110 degrees, set in 1979.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 100 degrees by 6 p.m., to 93 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 85 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Friday's morning low will be 79 degrees and Friday's high will climb to 99 degrees, they said.