Sin City sure is sizzling.
Las Vegas, Nevada hit 100° on Tuesday for the first time in 2018, well earlier than usual and just the start of a likely string of 100°+ days.
Officially, Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport hit 101° for the first time this year on Tuesday afternoon, and on Wednesday, Vegas added a few more degrees, soaring to 103° for a high as of mid-afternoon. This is anything but usual for Vegas - the city normally doesn't hit 100° for the first time until May 26th.
![](https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2018/05/vgs-stats.jpg)
It's part of an unusually hot pattern for the desert Southwest, caused by a big ridge of high pressure leaving the region dry and scorching hot. This is the typical pattern associated with above average temperatures for this part of the country.
![](https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2018/05/ptrn.jpg)
Of course, this is just the start of the heat Las Vegas is famous for. The city averages seventy 100° or greater days each year, with the hottest months of the year, on average, being July and August. You might be wondering what Vegas' all-time highest temperature is - and that would be 117°, last reached in 2017. Fortunately, that's not in the forecast - at least not in the near future.
![](https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2018/05/vgs7.jpg)
Stay with WeatherNation for the latest on the Las Vegas and desert Southwest heat.
For WeatherNation: Meteorologist Chris Bianchi