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Las Vegas ties a 1964 heat record at 98 degrees as remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel bring rain chances this weekend
Harry Reid International Airport hit 98 degrees Thursday, tying a 1964 record. Forecasters say Tropical Storm Rachel's remnants could bring rain late Saturday and a cooldown to a high of 71 by Tuesday.
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What happened
Las Vegas tied a daily heat record Thursday, and a change in the weather is on the way. Harry Reid International Airport reached 98 degrees Thursday afternoon, matching the record set in 1964, according to Brayden Murdock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Relief is expected to arrive over the weekend. Murdock told the Review-Journal that remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel are expected to bring showers and storms to Southern Nevada starting late Saturday night and continuing into Sunday.
A week of near-record heat
How this week compares
Thursday's reading capped a week of near-record highs across the valley. Wednesday hit 97 degrees, two degrees short of the record for that date, the Review-Journal reported. The forecast high for Friday is 96, compared with a record of 97 set in 2024.
These temperatures are well above what is typical for this time of year. According to the Review-Journal, the average daytime high for early October is 85 degrees.
The October record
The warmest October day on record in Las Vegas came in 2024, when the temperature hit 104 degrees on Oct. 4, Murdock said. Record-keeping began in 1937.
Rain chances from Rachel's remnants
Weekend timing
There is a 60 percent chance of rain after 10 p.m. Saturday, with chances rising through the overnight hours, Murdock told the Review-Journal. Sunday carries a 90 percent chance of rain, especially in the afternoon.
Showers into next week
Showery weather is expected to linger after the weekend. The chance of rain is 50 percent on Monday and 30 percent on Tuesday, according to the forecast reported by the Review-Journal. The National Weather Service said the remnants are forecast to bring showers and storms to Southern Nevada on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Cooler days ahead
Tuesday's forecast high is 71 degrees, which the Review-Journal noted is more than 10 degrees below normal. The last time Las Vegas recorded a high in the low 70s was April 27, when the temperature reached 72 degrees.
The cooler-than-normal pattern, with overnight lows in the 50s, is expected to last through next week, the Review-Journal reported.
Where the storm is now
As of Thursday night, the National Hurricane Center said Rachel had been downgraded to a tropical storm. It was moving northeast toward the Baja California Peninsula and was expected to make landfall south of Ensenada, Mexico, late Saturday night.
The storm is forecast to move through western Arizona on Sunday. The hurricane center said it could bring strong winds and flooding to portions of the Southwest.
What to watch next
- A 60 percent chance of rain after 10 p.m. Saturday, with chances increasing overnight, according to the National Weather Service.
- A 90 percent chance of rain Sunday, especially in the afternoon, followed by 50 percent Monday and 30 percent Tuesday.
- Rachel's expected landfall south of Ensenada, Mexico, late Saturday night and its forecast path through western Arizona Sunday, which the National Hurricane Center said could bring strong winds and flooding to parts of the Southwest.
- A forecast high of 71 degrees Tuesday, with cooler-than-normal temperatures and lows in the 50s expected through next week.
