Wildfire smoke visible as dry, triple-digit valley temperatures continue Sunday

Clear valley skies were clouded with smoke from the Willow Fire in Arizona on Sunday, making a rather uneventful weather day seem unusual, the National Weather Service said.

Smoke from the Arizona brush fire, which burned over 6,000 acres in the Mojave Valley, projected “a pretty decent blanket” of smoke in valley skies, especially in Henderson, meteorologist Justin Pullin said.

The smoke should continue to blow over the valley as long as the wildfire burns, Pullin said. But with most of the smoke high in the air, conditions on the ground won’t be affected for valley residents.

“It’s mainly elevated right now so visibility isn’t a concern,” Pullin said.

Temperature wise, Sunday brought another “pretty quiet” day, with highs reaching 103 at McCarran International Airport, the weather service’s official measuring site, Pullin said. Sunday’s high was just one degree below the Aug. 9 average high of 104, and 11 degrees below the day’s record-high of 114, set in 1940.

With highs of 103 and 104, Monday and Tuesday will be dry and sunny, Pullin said. With a 20 percent chance of rain on Wednesday and Thursday, thunderstorms are also possible toward the end of the week.

Contact Chris Kudialis at ckudialis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283. Find him on Twitter: @kudialisrj