Las Vegas heat wave continues, tying record of 114 degrees
Tuesday was the hottest day of the year in Las Vegas, peaking at 114 degrees and tying the record for July 10 that was set most recently in 2003.
It was also the worst day of business for Madison Taylor Aja, 11, since she opened Madison Taylor's Snack Shack on July 2.
She guessed the scorching heat kept many of her customers inside rather than coming to her for a snow cone or a glass of cold lemonade at the foot of her dad's driveway on Jamison Park Lane, near Allen Lane and Gowan Road in North Las Vegas.
The idea came to her when she spotted the snow cone machine during a trip to the grocery store: "Why don't we start our own business so that we can keep everybody refreshed?" she asked her dad.
She convinced him, "as usual," father Michael Aja said. He helped with supplies and setup, not to mention customized business T-shirts and frequent buyer cards - your 10th glass is free.
Since the grand opening, Madison has pulled in more than $150 helping neighbors, friends, construction workers and even the local mail carrier beat the heat.
But Tuesday's heat was hard to beat. Thermometers hit triple digits by 10 a.m., and got to 110 before 1 p.m.
It got as hot as 119 at two monitoring stations in Henderson, one near the Galleria at Sunset mall and the other near Boulder Highway and Lake Mead Parkway.
Monday's high of 113 also tied the record for the date, going all the way back to June 9, 1943.
The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning that will last until 10 p.m. today , urging anyone who works or spends time outside to use extra caution, and to schedule any strenuous activity in the mornings or evenings, if possible.
From Monday until about noon Tuesday, University Medical Center emergency rooms hadn't admitted anyone with heat-related issues, spokeswoman Danita Cohen said. But across Las Vegas, people cranked up their air conditioners to try to stay cool.
"We absolutely have seen an increase in energy usage," NV Energy spokeswoman Jennifer Schuricht said.
Schuricht said the record for energy used in one day came at 5,866 megawatts per hour sometime in July 2007. While Tuesday's results had not yet been calculated, she estimated that the day's totals probably would end up being close to that record.
Temperatures should start to decline after today , and weather service meteorologist Jim Harrison said it probably will stay cooler for at least the next 10 days.
To stay cool while the shack is open, Madison Aja works under a canopy that her dad rigged with misters and drinks plenty of water. She generally works from about 7 each morning - early traffic is good, she said - until 3 or 3:30 p.m., before temperatures peak.
She's putting all the profits from the snack shack toward buying tools and learning more programming for her school robotics project.
"As much as I can make is just fine with me," she said.
Review-Journal writer Ben Frederickson contributed
to this report. Contact reporter Kyle Potter at
kpotter@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0391.
