Stay cool, mom: It’s going to be a hot weekend in Las Vegas

Get ready, Las Vegas. The year’s first 100-degree heat wave is fast approaching, just in time for Mother’s Day weekend.

Expect highs in the upper 90s for Friday and Saturday but there’s a 50 percent chance the valley will reach the century mark on Sunday, which is Mother’s Day, said Sam Meltzer of the National Weather Service.

If the valley fails to hit 100 that day, it most certainly will reach that number Monday and Tuesday, with forecast highs of 104 and 103, which may break daily heat records, Meltzer said.

How hot it gets this weekend depends on “the position of the high pressure system” over the Southwest, he explained. There’s a possibility that a heat advisory/warning could be issued, he said.

On Thursday, Harry Reid International Airport hit 92 degrees at 3:59 p.m., about 10 degrees short of the daily record. It was the second time Reid has reached 90 this month (it saw 91 on May 3). The average early May temperature is 85 degrees.

The last time Reid recorded a 100-degree temperature was Sept. 7. Last year, Las Vegas hit 100 for the first time on May 21. The average date of hitting 100 is May 24. In 2024, the valley hit 100 on May 17. The earliest Las Vegas has hit 100 was May 1, 1947. The latest was June 30, 2023.

Reaching the century mark is an unofficial start to the summer heat in the valley.

2026 heat and rain

— The warmest day in April happened on the 8th, when Harry Reid International Airport hit 91 degrees.

— Las Vegas recorded its hottest day of the year March 25 when Reid reached a record 98, the hottest day in March history.

— The valley saw 90 for the first time in 2026 on March 18 when Reid recorded a record 94, starting a streak of 12 days of 90 or above.

— Las Vegas reached 80 for the first time this year on Feb. 26. Reid hit 83 that day.

— The last time Reid saw measurable rain was the week of Feb. 18, when it recorded 0.24 inches. That was the first time the airport had seen rain since Jan. 8 (0.03 inches).

— The month of April felt relatively cool (only 1.3 degrees above normal) after a record-breaking March. February 2026 was the second-warmest February in the valley since record-keeping began in 1937. January 2026 was the fifth-warmest January on record.