Published Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014 | 11:29 a.m.
Updated Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014 | 3:28 p.m.
Sun weather coverage
Winds blowing this morning into the Las Vegas Valley had a hitchhiker: record warm air.
During a 40-minute period today, starting just before 9 a.m., the temperature at the National Weather Service’s official Las Vegas recording station at McCarran International Airport rose from 57 to 70 degrees, according to meteorologist Chris Outler. By 10:30 a.m. the temperature at McCarran was 73, breaking a 43-year-old record high for the date by 1 degree.
Before the day is done, it’s possible Las Vegas could experience its warmest January day on record, Outler said. The current record high for January in Las Vegas is 77, set on Jan. 26, 1975.
Conditions have prompted forecasters to issue a high-wind warning in effect until 8 p.m. for the Spring Mountains and Red Rock Canyon. Forecasters predict southwesterly winds could blow at speeds as high as 70 mph, with the strongest winds coming during the daylight hours.
The Las Vegas Valley, meanwhile, is under a wind advisory until 8 p.m. Forecasters say wind gusts could reach 50 mph before tapering off tonight.
The wind this afternoon caused more than 1,000 NV Energy customers to be without power near Lake Mead Boulevard and Tenaya Way. The power outages began about 1:30 p.m. and affect more than 1,400 total customers throughout the valley, NV Energy officials said.
Outler said today would be the last day in a stretch of unseasonably warm temperatures. A cold front is expected to move through the area tonight. A high of 58 is forecast for Friday in Las Vegas, with highs in the 50s continuing into next week.
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