Syzdekistan

This is a public information statement from the National Weather Service:

A hot and dry Summer thus far…

The hot and dry weather has prompted questions about how long it has been since Las Vegas had rain… how many days in a row Las Vegas has reached 100 degrees… and so forth. The following information is current through yesterday… July 15th… and is valid for McCarran International Airport /the official observation site for Las Vegas/.

Consecutive days with high temperature 100f or higher

Current streak… 33 days /tied for 10th longest/
longest streak… 66 days in 1944
projection… 100f high temperatures should continue at least through Friday… which would put the streak up to 38 days /6th longest/.

Consecutive days with low temperature 80f or higher

Current streak… 17 days /3rd longest/
longest streak… 21 days in 2006
projection… 80f low temperatures should continue at least through Friday… which would put the streak up to 22 days… breaking the record.

Consecutive days with no measurable rain

Current streak… 90 days /27th longest/
longest streak… 150 days in 1959
projection… measurable rain is not likely at least through Friday… which would put the streak up to 95 days /24th longest/.

Consecutive days with no rain at all

Recent streak… .66 days /from may 6 through July 10/ longest streak… 101 days in 1944

The water level at Lake Mead has also suffered due to the prolonged drought and below normal snowfall in much of the western states. In 2000… the water level was over 1210 feet. It fell more than 80 feet in four years… dropping under 1130 feet in 2004. The water level briefly recovered to nearly 1150 feet in 2005 following the wet winter of 2004-05… but has since fallen to 1112.5 feet as of July 15th. This is the lowest water level in over 40 years.