Brace yourselves, Las Vegas residents and visitors; the mercury's about to dance a treacherous number with the three-digit fiends yet again. According to a recent report by the National Weather Service Las Vegas NV, beginning this weekend and stretching into early next week, Sin City will see a climb in temperature with the lower deserts and Colorado River Valley areas hitting between 110-115 degrees, while one of the hottest places on Earth, Death Valley National Park, could well soar past 120 degrees.
While today through Wednesday should keep to near-normal temperatures—nominal in this context if you can call sweating bullets 'normal'—it's the subsequent days that remind us of nature's not so subtle ways. The sun is not merely content to scorch but to bake, broil, and downright roast anything underneath it. Smoke from nearby wildfires will just add to the brimstone-like whiff in the air. Seeing a ascending risk for heat-related illnesses, the report on NWS indicated some "spotty Major to Extreme values in the valley's of
northwest Arizona, far southern Nevada and eastern California Friday-Monday."
For the aviators among us, the weather isn't poised to mess with your landings and takeoffs, but keep your vis on alert. The NWS noted that while smoke will generally stay north of Las Vegas, 'slantwise' visibilities might still catch some murk, particularly across northern San Bernardino, central and southern Inyo counties, and southern Nevada areas north of the Valley. Better to fly by the gauges and cross-check those METARs and TAFs before taxiing out.
As for those dreaded monsoon moisture, it's slinking its way back into northwest Arizona by Thursday, says the NWS, and will spread its clammy fingers over southern Nevada and southeast California. If you're planning any outdoor activities, keep an eye on the "10%-30% chance PoPs" ready to burst over the regions later this week, leading to an increased potential for showers and thunderstorms for the weekend—less baking, more boiling, it seems. The good news for anyone nonplussed by dry conditions is that winds should be lighter come Wednesday, offering a brief respite from the gusts that have been buffeting the region. But keep the water bottle close: hydration will be as important as ever.
