LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It’s officially sweater weather here in Las Vegas and with temperatures in the 60s as we reach the end of October, it’s easy to forget that at the beginning of this month, an Excessive Heat Watch was still in effect.
And the long-running hot temps we experienced this summer have far-ranging impacts on public health and safety.
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As a reminder, we experienced the hottest summer on record, and even into October, daily heat records were being broken triggering a re-activation of cooling centers.
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I checked in with Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada to learn how operations went this season as temperatures exceeded average conditions.
“We actually changed our operations a little bit so we could handle the extreme temperatures. Like with our shelter, we opened early. We did extra perimeter checks around our campus. We put out signs to make sure individuals know where cooling stations were open across the county," spokesperson Leslie Carmine said.
Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada offers a range of programs providing food, shelter, and support to vulnerable people in the Las Vegas community.
In total, the organization serves more than 2.7 million meals a year, and 2,500 seniors are visited weekly with the Meals on Wheels program.
“We actually have a paid driver that goes out to the home and greets that client and actually puts the food in their freezer and does a checkup with them, you know, to kind of make sure their environment looks well, that they look well," Carmine explained.
Meals on Wheels has a full waitlist. A range of 600 to 1000 people in the valley are in need of the service at all times.
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Carmine said it's a vital program to many — especially during dangerous heat waves.
“It can be a life or death situation, whether they're a home-bound senior that, you know, maybe doesn't have enough funds to actually run their air conditioning all the time. Or someone that is unhoused who is coming and and that mealtime is the only time of day when they have a chance to drink water. That can really be a hardship for someone."
Over a six month span this year, Las Vegas saw 112 days were over 100° and 36 of those days were over 110°.
"I think there’s a big push nationally to recognize that extreme and heat is a threat in itself," Jeff Quinn, Manager of the Office of Public Health Preparedness at the Southern Nevada Health District, said.
The barrier of transportation and expanding 24-hour services is something officials are looking at for next summer.
“In the 2025 season, maybe we need to focus our efforts in identifying more cooling locations in the zip codes that are at highest risk," Quinn said.
Warming summertime temperatures are a trend that is expected to continue in the southwest due to climate change making advance preparation critical.
