Las Vegas falls short of record temp Friday, but heat wave continues

This week’s heat wave continued to smother Las Vegas on Friday, but the city fell just short of a third record-breaking day in a row.

A high of 113 degrees, 2 degrees below the record high for the date set on June 18, 1940, was reported at the McCarran International Airport, according to the National Weather Service. This continued a four-day stretch when highs reached or surpassed 113.

Thursday’s forecast high was 113, but the official high at McCarran reached 114, breaking the previous daily record set in 1940. Wednesday’s high came in at 116, surpassing the record for June 16 by 2 degrees and falling just one degree shy of the all-time Las Vegas heat record of 117.

An excessive heat warning that began Monday is in effect through 8 p.m. Sunday, the weather service said.

“Keep doing what everybody is doing, try to avoid outside when it’s the hottest hours,” meteorologist Ashley Nickerson advised.

The heat is blanketing much of the U.S. West this week. In Phoenix, Friday’s high temperature of 117 broke the daily record for June 18 in the city by 2 degrees, according to the weather service.

Kingman, Arizona, and Barstow, California, also broke daily records on Friday, the weather service said. Friday’s high in Death Valley reached 124, tying the daily record set on 2017. The morning low was 101, setting a record that was 94 set in 1961.

113° in Las Vegas was just shy of the June 18th record of 115°. A few other sites around the region tied or broke records. Death Valley tied the record high of 124°, but only dropped to 101° early this morning which set a new record warm low temp. #VegasWeather #cawx #azwx pic.twitter.com/7FDsBRPRVU

— NWS Las Vegas (@NWSVegas) June 19, 2021

Laughlin was expected to reach a high of 122 on Friday, only a few degrees below Nevada’s all-time record of 125 degrees, set in the area on June 29, 1994, the weather service said.

Stuck at 113 or higher

The weather service said that since records in the city were first kept in 1937, there have been at least five instances when the high remained at or above 113 for at least five days in a row. The longest stretch was in 1940, when highs hovered at or above 113 for eight consecutive days.

The heat wave will stretch into the weekend, with highs forecast at 114 on Saturday and 113 on Sunday, the weather service said.

Overnight lows will be about 89 on Saturday, before dropping to 84 on Sunday as the extreme heat wanes.

Las Vegas won’t be as hot early next week, but temperatures are still forecast to be in the triple digits, with Monday likely to reach 107 and Tuesday 103, the weather service said.

Safety warnings

Officials have warned people to pay attention to safety warnings during the heat wave by staying inside as much as possible, drinking plenty of water and wearing light, breathable clothing.

“Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location,” the warning said, urging people to call 911 for help for possible heatstroke victims.

Hot pavement also can be dangerous to humans and pets, capable of inflicting third-degree burns at the height of the day.

At the Lions Burn Care Center at University Medical Center, injuries from hot pavement are so common that staff call the summer months “pavement burn season,” said Dr. Syed Saquib, the center’s medical director. In all, 13 percent of the serious burn injuries seen at the burn care center come from hot pavement.

According to an April medical journal report co-authored by Saquib, pavement burns are often severe and require longer hospital stays and greater need for surgeries.

That’s because the people who are hurt often are unable to get up off the superheated pavement because they collapsed from dehydration, heat stroke or another medical condition or because they are intoxicated.

Cases start spiking once outside temperatures top 95.

The Southern Nevada Chapter of the American Red Cross also has shared the following safety reminders:

— Never leave children or pets alone in enclosed vehicles.

— Use a buddy system when working in excessive heat and take frequent breaks if you must work outdoors.

— Check on family, friends and neighbors who do not have air conditioning, spend much of their time alone or are more likely to be affected by the heat.

— Check on animals frequently to ensure that they are not suffering from the heat.

Cooling stations

Several weekday cooling stations will be open Saturday and Sunday becasue of the continued heat, according to Clark County. They include:

— Walnut Recreation Center, 3075 N. Walnut Road (south of East Cheyenne Avenue) Las Vegas; 702-455-8402, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday.

— Pearson Community Center, 1625 W. Carey Ave. (west of North Martin Luther King Boulevard), Las Vegas; 702-455-1220; 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday.

— Downtown Recreation Center, 105 W. Basic Road (east of Pacific Avenue), Henderson; 702-267-4040; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday.

— Catholic Charities, 1511 Las Vegas Blvd. North (near Foremaster Lane), Las Vegas; 702-385-2662; noon-3 p.m. daily.

— Hollywood Recreation Center, 1650 S. Hollywood Blvd., (north of American Beauty Avenue), Las Vegas; 702-455-0566; 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday.

— Whitney Recreation Center, 5712 E. Missouri Ave., (south of Tropicana Boulevard and west of Boulder Highway), Las Vegas; 702-455-7576; 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday.

— SHARE Village (daily hydration only), 50 N. 21st St. (east of East Charleston Boulevard), Las Vegas; 702-222-1680; 6-7 a.m. breakfast pantry, 8-10 a.m. grocery pantry.

— Downtown Senior Center (age 50+), 27 E. Texas Ave. (near East Army Street), Henderson; 702-267-4150; noon-3 p.m., Monday-Friday.

— Courtyard Homeless Resource Center, 1401 Las Vegas Blvd. North (enter at 310 Foremaster Lane), Las Vegas; 702-229-6117; 24 hours all days.

— American Legion Richard Springston Post 60, 1510 Bruce Woodbury Drive, Laughlin; 702-299-1510; 8 a.m.-8 p.m. on days with temperatures more than 112 degrees. An outside cooling area will be open for pets on a leash or in a carrier, but no pets will be allowed inside the building.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter. Review-Journal intern Mathew Miranda and The Associated Press contributed to this report.