Above-normal heat to continue through weekend

Sherry Swensk

Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008 | midnight

Just when we thought the curtain was dropping on monsoon season, it returned for an encore performance this past week. It just goes to show that it's not over till Mother Nature sings. (I didn't want to call her fat.)

Unfortunately, as with every summer storm season, not everyone gets in on the act. Nearby Henderson in the Las Vegas Valley has just reaped the rewards of storm after drenching storm, while so many other areas have very little to brag about.

And it looks like the summer heat is not out of gas either. Above-normal temperatures will carry on through the weekend. Eventually, they will cool down and stay down, but right now we're on the fringe of late summer, and every once in a while we get a spike of heat.

The upcoming week looks fairly calm and warm. A ridge of high pressure will settle in and deliver some nice Indian summer weather for a bit. It's a good time to get in some late-summer pool parties and barbecues. One of the computer models indicates another system upstream which should stay north of us during the week. It might stir up some wind and cool highs just a degree or two.

The normal 30-year average for afternoon highs for mid-September is more comfortable now, in the mid-90s, with morning lows in the low 70s.

If you're a sky watcher, Jupiter is the brightest object hanging out in the southern evening sky. Venus is low in the west after sunset and will glow there for the rest of the year. A full moon shines Monday night.

Have a safe, great weekend.

Sherry Swensk is the morning weather anchor for KLAS-TV Channel 8. She can be reached at [email protected].