Las Vegas to hit mid-90s for Memorial Day

By Dave Toplikar

Sunday, May 30, 2010 | 6:07 a.m.

Today will be about as perfect as it gets in Las Vegas -- sunny skies, lighter winds and a high reaching near 90 degrees.

Even warmer weather is on the way for Memorial Day, as afternoon temperatures reach the 95-degree mark for the first time this year, according to the National Weather Service.

On Tuesday, a minor weather disturbance will lower temperatures a few degrees as variable clouds move in, they said. But then a ridge of high pressure will build up during the remainder of the week, leading to the warmest temperatures of the year so far, they said.

The first 100-degree day of the year is expected Friday. And next Sunday and the following Monday could bring some 110-plus readings in elevations below 1,000 feet, triggering excessive heat warnings, forecasters say.

At 5:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 63 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 67 degrees. The record low was 48 degrees, set in 1971 and 1942.

Around the valley just before 6 a.m., temperatures were 68 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 69 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 64 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.

Temperatures in the valley were to rise today to 74 degrees by 9 a.m., to 85 degrees by noon and reach a high of 90 degrees by 5 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 93 degrees and the record high was 106 degrees, set in 2002 and 1997.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 87 degrees by 6 p.m., to 81 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 74 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Monday's morning low will be 66 degrees and Monday's high will climb to 96 degrees, they said.