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By Dave Toplikar (contact)

Temperature records are expected throughout the region, forecasters said

Record-tying heat is heading today to the Las Vegas area — hitting 109 degrees this afternoon — and the burners are going to get turned up even higher for the rest of the week, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service has issued an excessive heat warning for the Las Vegas area for today through Saturday for much of the Mojave Desert, with record temperatures expected in some areas.

Temperatures in the Las Vegas Valley are expected to range from highs around 103 degrees on the west side of the valley to around 112 degrees on the east side.

Forecasters urge area residents to reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or in the evening, to wear lightweight and loose-fitting clothing when possible and drink plenty of water.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breakings in shaded or air-conditioned areas. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. OSHA says heat stroke is an emergency and those suffering from it should call 911 and ask for help.

The forecast calls for a strong area of high pressure to gradually build over the region from the east and remain in place going into the weekend, forecasters said. The weather pattern will produce a prolonged hot spell across the Mojave Desert region.

Temperatures are expected to range from 108 to 113 in Las Vegas, 112 to 117 at Lake Mead and Laughlin, 117 to 122 in Death Valley, 108 to 112 in Twentynine Palms, 113 to 118 in Lake Havasu City and 103 to 107 in Kingman.
Well-above normal nighttime temperatures can also be expected, with lows dropping to between 85 and 90 degrees in many locations, forecasters said.

The hottest temperatures will occur within the Colorado River Valley and Death Valley National Park, they said. Any outdoor activities should be planned in the early morning or in the evening after sunset, they said.
The eight hottest temperatures of the summer so far have been 111 on July 2, 110 on June 2, 109 on Aug. 18 and June 23, and 108 on Aug. 2,July 29, July 3 and June 28, the weather service said.

At 4:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 83 degrees. The normal low for today's date is 78 degrees. The record low was 56 degrees, set in 1947.

Around the valley just before 5 a.m., temperatures were 83 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 79 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 80 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.
Temperatures at McCarran were to rise today to 92 degrees by 9 a.m., to 103 degrees by noon and reach a high of 109 degrees by 3 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today's date is 101 degrees and the record high was 109 degrees, set in 1998 and 1944.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 108 degrees by 6 p.m., to 101 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 94 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Wednesday's morning low will be 85 degrees and Wednesday's high will climb to 110 degrees, they said.

Source  http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/aug/23/excessive-heat-warning-continues-las-vegas/