Las Vegans, if you’ve got outdoor plans today or tomorrow, you might want to keep an eye on the sky, especially if you’re hanging out in eastern Mohave County. The National Weather Service in Las Vegas is predicting “isolated thunderstorms” for the region today and possibly stretching tomorrow. Northeastern Clark County and the Sierra could also see some of this action, though the forecasters are less certain for those areas.
The weekend, however, promises to shift toward drier conditions lasting into early next week, with the forecast indicating “more robust moisture return and warmer temperatures in the second half of the week,” as per NWS. Plan on enjoying a slight cool-off over the weekend before the heat cranks back up again; the expected southwesterly flow and decrease in thicknesses will bring temperatures down just a tad below normal, giving us a small respite from the usual scorch intensifying again midweek with the retrogradation of the Central Plains high over the Four Corners Region, this will set the stage for not just a return of monsoonal moisture but also, you guessed it, those higher temperatures we all know and love—or endure.
For the pilots among us, or anyone who just loves to keep tabs on aviation weather, the conditions today look to be just as volatile, with “breezy south-southeast winds after 16z” turning “more south-southwest” later in the afternoon at Harry Reid airport, according to the same forecast. Gusts could hit between 15-25 knots with the mercury peaking around a sizzling 102F. Overnight, winds will mellow out, and while convection from the east could stir up easterly outflows, the chance of that happening is slim…