Heat watch issued as temperatures soar past 100

By Pashtana Usufzy

Monday, June 15, 2015 | 4:40 p.m.

An excessive heat watch has been issued by the National Weather Service, which is predicting temperatures in the Las Vegas Valley up to 112 degrees Thursday through next Monday.

The official high temperature as of 4 p.m. today hit about 108 degrees, and residents of the southern valley soldiered through 110-degree heat this afternoon, meteorologist Nathan Foster said.

Today's high temperature is the hottest of the year so far, meteorologist Clay Morgan said.

The heat watch indicates high temperatures from 107 to 112 degrees will hit the valley between Thursday morning and Monday evening, and parts of Arizona and California are also being affected by the heat, Foster said.

The normal high temperature for this week in the valley is about 100 degrees, and the record highs Thursday through Monday are between 111 and 115 degrees, Foster said.

The daily record most in jeopardy may be tied or broken this Sunday, Foster said.

The hottest June 21 on record for the valley occurred in 1954, when the temperature reached 111 degrees, he said. The high this Sunday is expected to be about 111 degrees.

Forecasters believe Death Valley will also break some of its daily records this week with highs between 122 and 127, Foster said.

Records go back to 1935, he said.

Although some records may be broken, this is far from the hottest summer on record.

"We've been below normal for quite a while," Foster said.

Low temperatures over the next week should be in the mid 80s, and the moisture that led to rainfall in parts of the valley over the weekend has moved east, resulting in clear and sunny skies, he said.