Will it hit 118 in Las Vegas? Chances are small, says forecaster

There’s a slim chance the official all-time Las Vegas airport record high temperature could occur this weekend.

A forecast high of 117 for Sunday has “5 percent odds of us going higher,” National Weather Service meteorologist John Adair said.

Weather experts are expecting a high of 112 on Friday, 115 on Saturday, 117 on Sunday and 116 on Monday.

If the 117 is accurate, it will be the fifth time the official measuring station at Harry Reid International Airport has recorded such a number. The first time was July 24, 1942. The most recent was July 10, 2021, Adair said. It was also recorded July 19, 2005; June 30, 2013; and June 20, 2017.

Las Vegas may also see three consecutive days of high temperatures over 115 with a low greater than 90 degrees, which happened only once before in 2005, the weather service said.

An excessive heat warning for the entire region runs from 11 a.m. Friday through 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Lake Mead is expected to have Sunday and Monday highs around 120 to 122. A high near 128 is forecast Sunday for Death Valley.

Little if any cooling will occur in darkness hours as the overnight low is not expected to drop below 90 until Wednesday morning.

“Everybody needs to be quite careful and take precautions,” Adair advised. “Stay indoors as much as possible and check up on the elderly and maybe who don’t have access to air conditioning.”

The heat could be followed by a monsoon pattern later in the coming week, Adair said.

“A classic monsoon pattern is starting to develop with a high pressure circulating clockwise over the four corners area,” Adair said. “That opens the door for thunderstorms and moisture from Mexico and Arizona to enter the area.”

Nearly 40 cooling stations will be open from Friday through Monday across the valley to allow people (and pets in some locations) to get a respite from the heat. Locations can be found here.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Marv_in_Vegas on Twitter.