100! Las Vegas sees first triple-digit day of 2023

The triple-digit heat has arrived in Las Vegas. And it’s gonna stay for several days.

At 1:35 p.m. Friday, the valley reached 100 degrees for the first time in 2023 at Harry Reid International Airport, the National Weather Service said.

It had been 293 days since Las Vegans felt a 100-degree day, the longest stretch with no 100-degree days — at the airport — in the valley’s weather history.

The mercury at the airport last reached 100 at 105 on Sept. 8, 2022.

Previously, the longest stretch without reaching 100 degrees was 290 days, from Sept. 13, 1964, to June 29, 1965, making June 30 of that year the latest 100-degree day in Las Vegas history.

May 24 is the average for reaching 100 at the airport, according to weather service records.

The high Friday hit 103 with 108 projected for Saturday, 112 on Sunday and 113 on Monday.

NWS Meteorologist Barry Pierce encouraged people to avoid being outside for long periods despite the holiday weekend.

“We typically tell people this time of year to try to get out and get everything done by at least 10 a.m.,” Pierce said.

The hottest part of the day is between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. While temperatures will stay high after 6 p.m., the heat will become more tolerable as the sun starts to set behind the Spring Mountains.

Staying hydrated and in a cool place are the keys to avoiding heat illness while noting that alcohol causes faster dehydration, Pierce said.

An excessive heat warning runs from 11 a.m. Saturday through 9 p.m. Monday.

Cooling stations located around the valley will be open Saturday through Monday, according to Clark County.

By the second half of next week, high temperatures are expected to be around 105 degrees, according to Pierce.

The Las Vegas Fire Department said it responds to one or two heat-related calls on an average day. During an excessive heat warning, that increases to about 50 calls a day.

Temperatures inside a car can reach 135 degrees in less than five minutes so the department urged people to call 911 if they see a child or pet locked inside an unattended vehicle.

The city of Las Vegas municipal code related to animal cruelty now requires cooling devices such as misters when temperatures are expected to reach 105 degrees. In addition, no animal can be tethered, tied or restrained for more than 10 hours in a 24-hour period and no animal can be tethered during a NWS heat advisory.

To contact animal protective services, call 702-229-6444, option 2.

Review-Journal digital producer Marvin Clemons and staff reporter David Wilson contributed to this report.