Windy, with highs in mid 80s for Las Vegas

By Dave Toplikar

Wednesday, May 26, 2010 | 5:19 a.m.

Las Vegas will warm up into the mid 80s today, and get some clouds and windy weather this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

Winds are expected to gust around 25 mph today, with some areas getting gusts up to 35 mph, forecasters said.

Then an unseasonably strong storm system will move into and then across the area by Friday, the weather service said.

The storm system will bring temperatures that will be about 15 degrees below normal levels on Friday, climbing only into the upper 70s, while precipitation will be confined mainly to northern Inyo and Esmeralda counties, forecasters said.

Winds will increase across much of the region today and Thursday.

The holiday weekend is expected to bring drier and warmer weather, forecasters said.

At 4:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 66 degrees, which is the normal low for today's date. The record low was 50 degrees, set in 1980.

Around the valley just before 5 a.m., temperatures were 68 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 69 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 66 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.

Temperatures in the valley were to rise today to 74 degrees by 9 a.m., to 83 degrees by noon and reach a high of 85 degrees by 3 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 91 degrees and the record high was 109 degrees, set in 1951.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 83 degrees by 6 p.m., to 78 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 74 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Thursday's morning low will be 67 degrees and Thursday's high will climb to 85 degrees, they said.