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Record heat persists in Nevada; more rain expected in Vegas

By SCOTT SONNERJuly 13, 2021 GMT

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Golden Davis cools off in a mister along the Las Vegas Strip, Friday, July 9, 2021, in Las Vegas. Las Vegas could hit its all-time high this weekend as the state and much of the Western U.S. are forecast to see extreme heat. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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RENO, Nev. (AP) — Record heat is persisting across Nevada — from Las Vegas to Lake Tahoe and Elko — along with record rainfall in southern Nevada, where more thunderstorms were in the forecast.

In Reno, the high has topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) 13 times so far this year, nearly twice as many times as any previous stretch on record at this point in July, the National Weather Service said. It reached 104 F (40 C) on Monday, the eighth consecutive day of 100 F (38 C) or hotter.

Monday’s high in Las Vegas was 113 F (45 C) , the first time it had dipped below 114 F (46 C) since it was 111 (43 C) on July 6. Fallon and Lovelock reached 109 F (42 C) on Monday.

The Clark County Fire Department reported Monday that it responded to at least 85 calls categorized as heat-related exposure in the Las Vegas area from July 7 to 11. Dozens to potentially hundreds more later were determined to be heat related, but it’s unclear exactly how many, Deputy Fire Chief Warren Whitney said.

A record tenth of an inch (2.5 millimeters) of rain in Las Vegas on Sunday doubled the old mark set in 1989. Thunderstorms were expected Monday in parts of Lincoln and eastern Clark counties.

The high of 114 F (46 C) at Mercury Desert Rock north of Las Vegas on Sunday broke the all-time hottest temperature recorded there.

A record 92 F (33 C) was recorded Sunday at South Lake Tahoe, California, where temperatures were about a dozen degrees above average all last week. Six records have fallen, and three others have been tied there since mid-June.

In Reno, prior to this year, the most times that highs of 100 F (38 C) or hotter had been reported by July 11 was seven in the summers of 2013 and 1940, the weather service said.

The city is now just seven days shy of equaling the most 100-degree days in a year. The all-time record was 20 in 2018. August is typically the region’s hottest month.

Reno’s high was forecast to reach 101 F (39 C) Tuesday before dropping into the mid-90s through the weekend.