Sunny, breezy and cooler for Las Vegas

By Dave Toplikar

Monday, May 10, 2010 | 6:17 a.m.

Another sunny, relatively cool and breezy day is on tap for Las Vegas.

Temperatures will reach only into the upper 70s today and southwest winds will increase this afternoon and continue through Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

As a low pressure system moves into the Great Basin, winds will be between 15 and 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph possible today for the Las Vegas Valley, forecasters said.

The weather service has posted a wind advisory from 6 p.m. today to 5 a.m. Tuesday for the Spring Mountains, Red Rock Canyon and Mount Charleston. Winds are expected to be from the west southwest at 30 to 40 mph, with gusts up to 55 mph, forecasters said.

The weather service said those planning outdoor activities in Red Rock Canyon or the Spring Mountains should be alert for high winds and consider postponing activities until the winds subside. Motorists should be alert for crosswinds and blowing dust that could make driving hazardous, forecasters said.

At 5:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 56 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 61 degrees. The record low was 41 degrees, set in 1948.

Around the valley just before 6 a.m., temperatures were 56 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 53 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 53 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.

Temperatures in the valley were to rise today to 66 degrees by 9 a.m., to 72 degrees by noon and reach a high of 77 degrees by 5 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 86 degrees and the record high was 102 degrees, set in 1948.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 76 degrees by 6 p.m., to 71 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 67 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Tuesday's morning low will be 60 degrees and Tuesday's high will climb to 71 degrees, they said.