Cool Las Vegas spring forecast to warm — perhaps much higher than normal

With snow-capped Spring Mountains immediately to the west and a skiing season extending into May, it’s obviously been a prolonged spring in the Las Vegas region.

It may take a few weeks more to get here, but National Weather Service meteorologists say the Las Vegas heat is coming — perhaps in warmer than usual dosages.

The May outlook for temperatures in and around Las Vegas are about normal, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center.

Come June through August, it may get toastier than normal.

A better than 50-50 chance for a “warmer than average summer situation for June, July and August,” meteorologist Johnna Infanti said of the CPC’s prediction for temperatures in Las Vegas.

And Vegas may not be alone.

“For the most part, the majority of the country shows a good chance of above normal (temperatures) this summer,” Infanti said. A map shows only North Dakota and parts of South Dakota and Montana the only parts of the country projected to have near normal temperatures during the summer months.

For the record, the Las Vegas average maximum temperature during the three months of summer is historically 97 with the average minimum being 69, based on data from 1992 through 2020, Infanti said.

If you think the Las Vegas spring has been slightly cooler than normal, you would be correct.

The spring has been slightly below normal for high temperatures, said Jenn Varian of the Las Vegas office.

The average March daily high in Las Vegas is 71 while this year it was 66 degrees. The first 28 days of April saw an average high of 78.1, slightly lower than the normal April high of 78.5.

Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com.