Las Vegas residents can look forward to putting their winter jackets away for a spell as the National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts a warming trend for the region starting today. The NWS Las Vegas report indicates a gradual climb in temperatures through the upcoming week, with most areas expected to see above-normal warmth by Monday.
For those early risers, this morning started with temperatures ranging from the brisk 20s in higher elevations to the more moderate 40s in valley areas—inching above what they were this time yesterday. These minor adjustments in temperature are tied to the westward development of a ridge influencing the region and boosting temperatures slightly. "highs today are progged to be in the 40s to around 50 degrees in the higher terrain, and upper 50s to lower 60s for most other locations, near to only slightly below normal for the end of November," the NWS report details. However, the Lower Colorado River Valley is due for breezy conditions persisting through the week, although Laughlin and Bullhead City are expected to see winds staying below advisory criteria.
Looking further ahead into early next week, weather watchers can anticipate more of the same. The NWS outlook maintains that a ridge will traverse across the Great Basin and Four Corners regions, aided by a southwestern Californian low. This pattern buttresses a warm and dry introduction to December, with a consistent increment of a few degrees in daily temperature highs. Skies will play host to a stream of high clouds, but those hoping for precipitation will find the atmosphere unyielding, as subsidence keeps the lid tight on rain chances.
The long-term projection up until Friday gives little hint of any significant change. A high amplitude ridge is expected to settle over the West Coast, encapsulating the area in dry and unseasonably warm conditions. "Very quiet weather is expected through the period as a high amplitude ridge and/or Rex block pattern gets locked in place over the West Coast," according to the synopsis provided by the National Weather Service. Nonetheless, those traveling through the Colorado River Valley might contend with gusty northerly winds reaching around 20 mph from Tuesday through Thursday. By Friday, a shift in the Rex block could intensify these winds further still.
Pilots flying to and from Harry Reid International Airport can expect calm conditions, with light, shifting winds and scattered to broken high-altitude clouds, according to the National Weather Service. Elsewhere in southern Nevada, northwest Arizona, and southeast California, light winds prevail, except in the Colorado River Valley, where breezy conditions persist.
