People cool off in the pool at Red Rock Resort on Tuesday during a record-breaking heat wave. The day's high temperature hit 90 degrees, shattering the 41-year-old record of 84 degrees. Photo by John Locher.
Technically, it's still winter -- until March 21.
But it didn't feel like it Tuesday as the mercury at McCarran International Airport topped out at 90 degrees, well above the record of 84 degrees set in 1966.
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Sunbathers hit the pools and hikers took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather -- the average high for this time of year is 69 degrees.
At Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Jill Blanchard, 33, of San Francisco said the weather was beautiful but it made her concerned about global warming.
"You have to worry about what it (the increasingly warm weather) really means in the long and short term," she said.
Julie Brisbin, 30, of Truckee, Calif., spent the day rock climbing. She sported a tank top and sunburned skin, though she said she was wearing sunblock.
Brisbin was loving the weather, but also gave some thought to global warming and it's apparent effect on the environment. "I don't like global warming, but ... ."
Glen Jensen, 48, a craps dealer who makes his home in the valley, took his Porsche for a drive on the scenic loop.
Jensen had brought sweats on his trip because he said it's usually cooler at that elevation. But there was no need for extra warmth Tuesday, he said.
Jensen said he was glad for the sunny weather, hoping it would help clear up a sinus infection he had been suffering from.
The day also set a record for the earliest 90-degree day of the year, according to the National Weather Service.
Records also fell in the nearby California towns of Needles and Barstow, and the Death Valley high of 97 tied a 91-year record.
More records could fall in the next few days as a high-pressure system remains camped out over the western United States. Highs in Las Vegas were expected to hover in the mid-80s through the weekend. The daily records for today, Thursday and Friday is 84 degrees.
Temperatures should fall back to the high 60s once the high pressure system moves on, sometime next week. But more hot temperatures are in store through the summer, as National Weather Service long-range forecasts are calling for higher-than-normal temperatures until September.
Review-Journal writer Brian Haynes contributed to this report.
