Warm and sunny for Las Vegas, unlike historic snowfall a year ago

By Dave Toplikar

Friday, Dec. 18, 2009 | 6:54 a.m.

Shed the coat and jacket this afternoon — skies will be sunny and temperatures are heading into the mid-60s as warmer-than-normal weather continues in Las Vegas.

That's a completely different picture from a year ago, when the city was dealing with a historic record snowfall that was measured at 3.6 inches on Dec. 17, 2008, at McCarran International Airport.

The winter storm that day brought more than 6 inches of snow to parts of the valley, with the highest amounts in the upper elevations.

But the only snow you'll see today will be to the west of Las Vegas on the peaks of the Spring Mountains, including Mount Charleston, where a winter storm brought more than a foot of snow last week.

Temperatures were starting out at 44 degrees at 5:56 a.m. at McCarran International Airport, where the normal low for this date is 36 degrees. The record low at McCarran was 22 degrees in 1945.

Just before 6 a.m. around the valley, temperatures were 37 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport, 42 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport and 36 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base.

Temperatures for the valley were to warm up to 51 degrees by 9 a.m., to 62 degrees by noon and top out at 65 degrees around 3 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 57 degrees and the record high is 72 degrees, set in 1939.

If your're going out tonight, you'll find the sun setting at 4:29 p.m. and the temperature dropping to 57 degrees by 6 p.m., to 50 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 47 degrees at midnight.

Sunrise will be at 6:47 a.m. Saturday, when the morning low temperature will be about 44 degrees, forecasters said.

Saturday will be mostly sunny, with the high reaching 65 degrees around 3 p.m. with a light east-northeast wind.

Warm weather continues Sunday and Monday, with afternoon temperatures continuing to be in the mid 60s.

Tuesday, the first day of winter, will have closer-to-normal temperatures, with the high reaching only 59 degrees.