High to hit 102 degrees in Las Vegas

By Dave Toplikar

Monday, May 21, 2012 | 4:32 a.m.

It might be a good time to stock up on the ice — the burners are getting turned up in Las Vegas today and Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Temperatures will soar more than 10 degrees above normal both days, hitting 102 degrees at McCarran International Airport, the weather service said.

Highs this afternoon in the Las Vegas Valley are expected to range from 96 degrees on the west side of the valley to around 105 on the east side, forecasters said.

Then a cooling trend will move in Wednesday, dropping temperatures into the mid 90s as an area of low pressure moves in through the end of the week, they said.

That low pressure system could potentially bring strong winds to much of the area Friday afternoon, forecasters said. Widespread gusts over 40 mph are possible in the region, they said.

Dry conditions and the potential gusty winds could lead to wildfire outbreaks, they said.

This morning’s low at McCarran International Airport was expected to be 74 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 67 degrees. The record low was 42 degrees, set in 1975.

Temperatures at McCarran were to rise today to 86 degrees by 9 a.m., to 96 degrees by noon and reach a high of 102 degrees by 4 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 91 degrees and the record high was 104 degrees, set in 1942.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 100 degrees by 6 p.m., to 94 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 87 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Tuesday's morning low will be 76 degrees and Tuesday's high will climb to 102 degrees, they said.