Ready for 118? All-time Las Vegas heat record could fall Sunday
The temperature in Las Vegas may climb to 118 degrees on Sunday, with extreme heat lingering through much of next week.
The National Weather Service predicted that it could get as hot as 117 on Monday, 117 on Tuesday and 117 on Wednesday.
An excessive heat warning is in place until Wednesday evening, and cooling stations in Clark Country will be open during the daytime hours until the warning is lifted.
Hot & Dry Conditions Persist
Each day through the weekend & start of next week, chances of our climate sites tying or breaking daily heat records increase.
Best chance today is Kingman with a 72% chance of tying their daily record of 109 set in 2007.#VegasWx #AzWx #CaWx #NvWx pic.twitter.com/EqEyBuAfWh— NWS Las Vegas (@NWSVegas) July 5, 2024
Anyone who needs to escape the heat may utilize a cooling station. A list of stations can be located at helphopehome.org.
National Weather Service meteorologist Ashley Nickerson said the highest recorded temperature in Las Vegas was 117. Nickerson said it’s been that hot on five occasions throughout the city’s history. The last time was in July 2021.
Until Wednesday, the temperature may “struggle” to dip below 90 at night, Nickerson said. The elevated nighttime temperatures pose a threat to those who lack access to adequate water and air conditioning, she added.
“Heat is a compounding thing, so when it doesn’t cool off well at night to give people relief from the extreme heat — that’s really dangerous,” Nickerson said.
🌡️🔌🥵If the power goes out- take steps to keep cool in the extreme temperatures. If air conditioning will be unavailable for more than a few hours, it's NOT safe. Find a local cooling station or head somewhere with AC to escape the dangerous heat!#nvwx #azwx #cawx #vegasweather pic.twitter.com/Yw0OwqpTPB
— NWS Las Vegas (@NWSVegas) July 5, 2024
After Wednesday, some moisture may descend upon the Las Vegas area, lowering temperatures because heating moist air is difficult.
Nickerson said an area of high pressure over California was causing the current heat wave in Las Vegas. That area of high pressure is expected to move inland into Nevada over the weekend.
“And depending on where that sets up, that could push some moisture into our area,” Nickerson said.
The highest recorded temperatures in Las Vegas on July 7 and July 8 were 116 and 114, respectively. So if Sunday does not break the all-time heat record, daily records still could fall on that day and the next.
Contact Peter Breen at pbreen@reviewjournal.com. Follow @breenreports on X.