Breezes in Las Vegas Valley will add to fire danger over holiday

Temperatures will dip slightly below normal through the July 4th holiday weekend, but breezy afternoons could cause “near-critical fire weather conditions” while fireworks are going off, according to the National Weather Service.

High temperatures for the weekend will hover around 102 degrees, with overnight lows in the mid-70s, the weather service said.

Humidity levels below 10 percent and sustained breezes, “combined with dry grass, bushes, or whatever is available to burn allows this rapid spread of any fires that do ignite,” said meteorologist Alex Boothe.

Independence Day is forecast to reach 100 degrees, but with winds gusts near 20 miles per hour. By night, the temperature should fall to about 75.

Boothe also warned the gusty winds might lead to some unfavorable conditions on Lake Mead for smaller boats.

“We’ll have some gusty winds that will kick up some waves on the lake. One-foot waves, depending how big your boat is, could be much less fun. Most people are on smaller crafts,” Boothe said.

The Clark County Department of Air Quality has issued a warning about smoky conditions from fireworks causing some to face breathing problems.

Air quality officials suggest changing home air filters and running the air conditioning to clear our ozone particles created by the smoke.

Sunny skies are predicted through the weekend and as far as forecasters can foresee, Boothe said.

“The forecast has been the same the past few days. Breezy afternoon and mild (temperatures) for this time of year,” he said.

The hottest day this weekend will be Saturday, when temperatures are expected to reach 103, the average high temperature for this time of year. Sunday will see a high of 102, followed by a high of 100 on Monday.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.