Breezy afternoon ahead for Las Vegas, wind advisory issued for Lake Mead

By Dave Toplikar

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012 | 4:41 a.m.

A windy but relatively warm day is on the way to the Las Vegas region, says Kevin Janison, KSNV-TV meteorologist.

"After a couple of days in the 50s, the mercury hit the 60-degree mark Tuesday and we’re looking for lower 60s today," Janison said.

However, a weak cool front will stagger through the state, he said.

"The front should be through the area by the afternoon, kicking up the breezes," Janison said. "It’s very possible we could see a few gusts over 25 mph in the afternoon."

The turbulence, from the north, will bring in slightly cooler air, and that will be noticeable with high afternoon temperatures dropping back in the 50s on Thursday, he said.

"High pressure will build back in, and temps will head back to the 60s as we head in to the three-day MLK Day weekend," he said.

If you're heading out to Lake Mead, be wary of the winds — the National Weather Service has issued a lake wind advisory from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for Lake Mead, Lake Havasu and the upper Colorado River Valley.

The weather service is predicting winds from the north at 20 to 30 mph, with gusts around 40 mph, which will cause dangerous boating conditions. They recommend boaters staying in protected coves or near shore.

They also said cross winds will cause difficult driving conditions on east-west roads, such as Nevada State Route 163, Arizona State Route 68 and Interstate 40.

The weather service was predicting this morning’s low at McCarran International Airport to be 42 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 39 degrees. The record low was 14 degrees, set in 1937.

Temperatures at McCarran were to rise today to 49 degrees by 9 a.m., to 59 degrees by noon and reach a high of 61 degrees by 4 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 58 degrees and the record high was 73 degrees, set in 1938.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 55 degrees by 6 p.m., to 47 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 43 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Thursday's morning low will be 38 degrees and Thursday's high will climb to 57 degrees, they said.