Heat warning, air advisory on for sizzling Las Vegas Valley
Keep doing what you’re doing to stay cool, Southern Nevada, because the relentless summer sizzle is hanging around.
The region is under an excessive heat warning until Saturday night, the National Weather Service said Thursday. Temperatures are expected to climb to 115 degrees in the Las Vegas Valley and 119 degrees in lower elevations along the Colorado River.
An air quality advisory also is in place. Smoke from a wildfire in the San Bernardino National Forest near Big Bear, Calif., about 210 miles away from Las Vegas, was visible in valley skies on Thursday. It could aggravate respiratory problems, according to the Clark County Department of Air Quality. That advisory ends Friday.
Temperatures Thursday reached 111 degrees at McCarran International Airport, meteorologist Jim Harrison said, nine degrees above the June 25 average of 102 degrees and just four degrees below the record of 115 set in 1970. The west valley was a little cooler, but only by a couple of degrees. The valley should see similar conditions through Saturday when the warning expires.
Sunday will likely drop 2 degrees to 110, Harrison said. This should precede a drop in temperatures expected to accompany thunderstorms next week.
It wasn’t clear Thursday what areas those storms will affect, Harrison said. Temperatures will still be in the 100s.
Reporter Chris Kudialis contributed. Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites.