The month of July started out on a cooler-than-normal note in Las Vegas. It’s not going to end that way.
The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for Southern Nevada, starting at 10 a.m. Thursday and lasting through 8 p.m. Sunday.
“Dangerously hot conditions (will emerge) across the Mojave Desert,” with temperatures ranging from 110 to 120 degrees, the NWS said in a statement. There will be “little to no overnight relief,” with lows of 80 to 95 degrees expected, the agency said.
“This will result in major to extreme heat risk,” the NWS said.
Southern Nevada likely will see temperatures reach 110 or more through next Monday, said Brian Planz, a meteorologist with the NWS office in Las Vegas.
If that happens, it will break the streak of 11 consecutive days of 110 degrees or higher, which was set in July 2024. During that record-breaking month, Las Vegas hit 120 degrees on July 7, the hottest day in its history.
The valley started its “110 streak” on Thursday, when Harry Reid International Airport reached 112 degrees. The airport saw 110 on Monday, Planz said, which could end up being the coolest day this week.
“The (110) record is in jeopardy,” said Planz, who explained that the center of a high-pressure ridge is moving westward toward Southern Nevada, which will cause a rise in temperatures by the end of this week.
The forecast high for Thursday is 112 and 114 for Friday, the last day of July. The valley saw 114 last Friday, the hottest day of the year. The average high for late July is 105. Planz said the best chances of breaking any daily heat records will happen this weekend.
In contrast, July started out with below-normal high temperatures during its first week. For example, Reid recorded a brisk 98 on July 1.
Cooling stations
Clark County said it has activated cooling stations at community centers, libraries and other buildings across the valley through Thursday.
The cooling stations’ hours will vary depending on the location. The stations will include several locations in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Henderson.
The stations are open to anyone in need of respite from the heat, the county said. Additional information can be found at the Southern Nevada Homelessness Continuum of Care’s website at helphopehome.org/get-help/.
Monsoon season
Planz said there is little to no chance of the valley receiving any monsoon storms for at least the next week. The summer monsoon season in Southern Nevada runs from late June into September.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had forecasted a 40 percent to 50 percent chance of above-normal precipitation in Southern Nevada this month and a slightly lower chance for above-normal precipitation through September. Normal precipitation in Las Vegas averages 0.38 inch of rain in July, 0.32 inch in August and 0.32 inch in September, according to data from NOAA.
Reid airport has seen no measurable rain this month, although it recorded a trace on July 19, Planz said. The last time Reid only saw a trace of rain in July was 2023.
Weather facts
— Las Vegas recorded its first 110-degree day of the year on July 8.
— On June 24, Reid recorded 0.02 inches of rain, breaking a rainless streak of 124 days. It was the only rainfall of the month.
— Last month was the seventh-warmest June on record, with an average temperature of 91.1 degrees, the NWS said. It was the first June since June 2022 that did not see a temperature of 110 or above.
— Las Vegas hit 100 degrees for the first time this year on May 8.
— The temperature hit 98 on March 25 at the airport, the hottest March day ever in Las Vegas. The valley saw eight consecutive days of record-breaking heat that month, the hottest March in history.
Contact Mark Davis at mdavis@reviewjournal.com.
