Valley’s enduring sizzle set to mercifully fizzle

Highs in 80s forecast Tuesday to Thursday

The Las Vegas Valley had one last day of triple-digit heat Monday before a storm front was expected to drop temperatures by 20 to 30 degrees overnight.

After a high of 114 degrees on Sunday that set the all-time highest September temperature in Las Vegas history, the National Weather Service said Monday only reached 106, two degrees below the record for the date of 108, set in 1955.

Tuesday’s forecast high is 85. Winds from the north and northeast are expected to stay around 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph, according to the weather service.

Forecast highs for the rest of the week are 81 on Wednesday, 87 on Thursday, 94 on Friday and 99 on Saturday. Temperatures are expected to return to triple digits by Sunday.

Smoke, ozone advisory issued Because of wildfires and winds

coming from the west, there was a lot of haze and smoke in the sky on Monday, which Meteorologist Caleb Steele said dropped the high temperature a few degrees below what was forecast.

“The winds will likely push most

of this smoke system out of town on Tuesday,” Steele said. “But with wildfires expected in Utah and Colorado, the northeast winds could, unfortunately, bring more smoke in later this week.”

Early Monday, Clark County issued a smoke and ozone advisory for the day because of the elevated levels.

Cold air mass

A gigantic cold air mass moving south from Canada is the reason for the sharp temperature drop this week. The cold air is expected to bring snow to Colorado, where highs are expected to drop from the low 90s to the mid-30s from Monday to Wednesday.

With the cooler air come very windy conditions. Red flag warnings are already in place for Lincoln and Esmeralda counties as well as southern Nye County, meteorologist Jenn Varian said. The warnings of increased fire danger will cover the entire region by Tuesday.

“There are wind advisories for the majority of the area, especially the Colorado River Valley, where we may see waves on the river of 3 to 4 feet,” Varian said.

Ellen Schmidt Las Vegas Review-journal @ellenkschmidttt The sun, clouded by smoke from fires in California, sets Monday behind Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. Monday’s high was 106; Tuesday is expected to reach only 85.