LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The month of October was the hottest one on record in Las Vegas, according to National Weather Service data.
This past month, the average temperature was 76.5 degrees beating the previous record which was set in October 2003. That year, the average temperature was 75.3 degrees in October.
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In Las Vegas, records have been kept since 1937, taking note of daily conditions and temperature. Officially, the data is tracked at Harry Reid International Airport.
Typically, October has an average temperature of 70.4 degrees.
This year, during the stretch between Oct. 2 through Oct. 6, a late-season heat wave shattered the daily record highs five days in a row. This helped to boost the overall temperature for the month.
And another record: Oct. 6 was the last day that hit 100 degrees this year, the latest day in a calendar year to see triple-digit heat in Las Vegas since record-keeping began.
2024's Heat Review
The meteorological summer season was the hottest on record with an average high temperature of 107.6 degrees.
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It's official: Las Vegas just had its hottest summer on record
Las Vegas experienced 112 days over 100 degrees, the average number between 1991 and 2020 is 78 days. The prior record was 100 days from 1947. The average is 40 days.
This year, a whopping 36 of those days were over 110 degrees. The previous record was set in 1947 with 29 days. The average is 9 days.
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Our first 100-degree day was May 17 (average first date is May 24), the last was on Oct. 6 (average last date is Sept. 18).
2024 was the latest into the year we've ever seen triple digits. The prior record was Oct. 4, 1947.
On July 7, the temperature hit 120 degrees, shattering the previous record of 117 degrees. Prior to this year, that 117 had only been hit five times on record.
Climate trends support rising heat
According to the University of Nevada, Reno, the amount of warming that Nevada will face in the future depends on whether greenhouse gas emissions are allowed to continue increasing, or whether they are reduced rapidly over the coming decades.
This summer, Channel 13 learned longer and stronger heat waves in Southern Nevada would be highly unlikely without the prevalence of greenhouse gas pollution.
Climate Central meteorologist Shel Winkley said, "It is supposed to be hot [in the] summertime, but this is exceptional heat driven by climate change...
"So what we know from pre-industrial times, we've added about 50% more carbon, CO2, to the atmosphere and we've added about 160% as much methane to the atmosphere and those are greenhouse gases. So what they do is, like a greenhouse, they trap in the heat that gets absorbed into the earth from the sun's rays. Carbon is a natural element of our atmosphere, but we're adding an exceptional amount that the earth can't regulate."
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