Las Vegas’ first 100-degree day of 2013 expected

By Dave Toplikar

Sunday, May 12, 2013 | 5:31 p.m.

Near-record high temperatures are expected to sear the Las Vegas area on Monday and Tuesday.

"We're looking at our first triple-degree reading at McCarran tomorrow," Larry Jensen, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Las Vegas Weather Forecast Office, said late Sunday afternoon.

Jensen predicts sunny skies and temperatures topping out at 101 degrees Monday afternoon at McCarran International Airport, which is the official temperature recording spot for Las Vegas.

That's just two degrees shy of McCarran's record for Monday's date, which is 103 degrees and was set in 1996. The last time Las Vegas hit 100 degrees was Sept. 9, 2012.

The average high temperature for Monday's date at McCarran is 88 degrees. But the 101 reading expected for Monday is not that out of the ordinary for this time of year. Last year, Las Vegas got its first triple-digit temperature day on May 16. The earliest date was May 1, 1947. The latest was on June 30, 1965. The average date is May 26.

While temperatures at the airport and the nearby Las Vegas Strip will climb to 101, temperatures throughout the valley will range between 100 on the west side to 105 on the east side, Jensen said.

Temperatures on Sunday climbed to 98 degrees by mid-afternoon. If you're not used to the heat, Jensen recommends finding an air-conditioned place and drinking plenty of water and nonalcoholic beverages.

"And if you do have to work outside, try to do it early or try to do it late," he said.

Temperatures are expected to start out in the low 70s in the morning. He said Tuesday's high temperature also will hit 101 at McCarran.

Then there will be a "cooling off" period, when temperatures climb to only the high to mid 90s for the rest of the week.