Las Vegas sets high temperature record as triple-digit heat continues

By Dave Toplikar

Tuesday, May 22, 2012 | 4:53 a.m.

After tying a 70-year-old high temperature record of 104 degrees Monday, Las Vegas will get another blast of triple-digit heat this afternoon.

The National Weather Service predicts a high of 103 today — five degrees shy of the record for today’s date — along with mostly clear skies and south to southwest breezes clocking close to 20 mph.

The record high temperature of 104 degrees for May 21 was tied at 3:02 p.m. Monday at McCarran International Airport, the weather service’s official climate station for Las Vegas. The record for May 21 was previously set in 1942, forecasters said. Records for Las Vegas date back to 1937.

A low pressure system moving into the region will bring cooler temperatures and locally breezy conditions Wednesday and Thursday, forecasters said. Highs this week are expected to be 95 Wednesday, 90 Thursday and 86 Friday.

Scattered showers and much cooler and locally breezy conditions are expected Saturday in the region, with a high hitting only 80 on Saturday, they said.

Then warmer and drier conditions move in, with highs hitting 84 degrees Sunday and 92 on Monday for the Memorial Day holiday, they said.

This morning’s low at McCarran was expected to be 76 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 68 degrees. The record low was 45 degrees, set in 1975.

Temperatures at McCarran were to rise today to 88 degrees by 9 a.m., to 97 degrees by noon and reach a high of 103 degrees by 4 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 91 degrees and the record high was 108 degrees, set in 2000.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 101 degrees by 6 p.m., to 94 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 87 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Wednesday's morning low will be 75 degrees and Wednesday's high will climb to 95 degrees, they said.