Temperatures will stay nice and warm for today and tomorrow with high temperatures right about 10-15 degrees above normal for this time of year.
That puts us very warm, but nowhere near record highs. Normal highs for this time of year are right around 70° with records about 10° warmer than we’re forecast to hit today and tomorrow.
All this is due to a very strong ridge of high pressure, ample sunshine and a thin cloud deck over the city last night. That cloud deck allowed the temperatures to be nice and warm through the overnight hours and primed the atmosphere for a nice warm up this afternoon.
Tonight, temperatures will be pleasant since it’ll take a while to cool off from the upper 70s and low 80s. High temperatures tomorrow will be nice and warm too with winds helping to warm things up. Highs will be about 80 degrees once again as winds work to mix up the atmosphere, warming the air before the front dramatically cools things off.
Winds ahead of the front will be gusting to about 40 mph ushering in the cooler temperatures. Highs for Saturday and Sunday will be about 10° cooler, although that will keep temperatures in the low 70s, which is still above average for this time of year.
Quick little update! It's been warm out there, but winds and cooler temperatures are on the way too
Posted by Meteorologist Carlo Falco on Thursday, March 10, 2016
It is important to note that this isn’t necessarily an effect of global warming. Records are much warmer than this and ridges in the jet stream have driven these temperatures.
Our recent February “heat wave“ was caused by a resurgence of the “ridiculously resilient ridge” from the winters of 2014 and 2015 over the West Coast. That ridge kept the skies clear and abnormally warm air positioned over the West Coast.
What is related to global warming is the overall trend to consistently warmer temperatures with average highs and lows slightly warmer than before, although that is also related to the heat-island effect as Las Vegas expands and develops farther out into the deserts.
