High temperature in Las Vegas hits 80s for first time this year

By Dave Toplikar

Friday, March 11, 2011 | 3:42 p.m.

Las Vegas hit something of a March milestone Friday afternoon — the official high temperature soared to 80 degrees.

"We were only forecasting a high of 78, so it did beat our expectation," said Jerome Jacques, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. "We've had some cold spells. I'm sure a lot of people are glad that its here.

The official high, taken at McCarran International Airport, reached the 80-degree mark at 3:15 p.m., Jacques said.

"The last time we hit 80 degrees was Nov. 6 last year," he said, saying it was a milestone for this time of year. "The normal high temperature for today is 68."

Jacques said the weekend is expected to bring temperatures in the upper 70s at McCarran.

The high is expected to be 78 for Saturday and Sunday, 77 for Monday and be in the upper 70s for the next seven days.

"It's going to be a wonderful weekend," he said.

Just before 3 p.m., temperatures were 79 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 78 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base, 78 at Henderson Executive Airport and 81 at the Boulder City Municipal Airport.