Graphical Climatology of Las Vegas Temperatures, Precipitation, and other Variables (1949-Present)
Presented by Charles Fisk*
Last Update: 4 Jan 2013
Note: Website is in process of redesign. No updates until completed.
The following is a graphical climatology of Las Vegas, Nevada (International Airport) temperatures, precipitation, and various other parameters, from 1949 through 2012. Presented are daily climatological overview charts (temperature), annual time-series (temperature and precipitation), “climograms” (hour-by-month depictions of temperature, humidity, winds, fog, blowing sand/dust, and thunderstorms), followed by year-to-year graphs that depict daily max/min temperature, daily mean temperature anomalies, daily rainfall, and when applicable daily snowfall/depths. At the present time, the year-to-year graphs and annual time-series back to 1949. New features will be added over time.
Data were obtained courtesy of the NOAA National Climatic Data Center and the NWS- Las Vegas online site.
 
CLIMATE OVERVIEW GRAPHS
TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL CLIMATOLOGIES:
LAS VEGAS DAILY TEMPERATURES (AVERAGE MAX/MIN’S AND RECORD MAX/MIN’S)

Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec

ANNUAL TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL TIME-SERIES:

Las Vegas Annual Mean Temperatures (1949-2012)     **    
Las Vegas Annual Precipitation (1949-2012)      **   

HOUR BY MONTH CLIMOGRAMS:

Las Vegas Mean Hourly Temperatures/Humidities
Las Vegas Winds (Mean Vector Winds, Mean Speeds)
Las Vegas Fog Incidence
Las Vegas Blowing Sand/Dust Incidence
Las Vegas Thunderstorm Incidence

YEAR-TO-YEAR GRAPHS:
The year-to-year daily graphs pages (links below) consist of four charts tiled horizontally. The uppermost graph displays “floating-bars” or “hi-lo” depictions of the daily maxima and minima. Each bar represents an individual day’s temperature range. Superimposed are two line traces, the upper one connecting 1949 to 2010 average daily maxima, the lower one 1949 to 2010 average daily minima. The bars depict the varying diurnal, synoptic, long-wave, and seasonal influences on temperature over time, and subjectively, some years’ features can be quite interesting to look at (see “REPEAT LINKS TO SOME OF THE MORE INTERESTING YEAR-TO-YEAR GRAPHS, WITH ACCOMPANYING NOTES” section below).
The second chart down shows the arithmetic departures of day-to-day mean temperatures less the corresponding 1949-present calendar-day average means. Vertical lines extending upward from the zero line indicate above average means for the day (colored red), those extending downward indicate below average daily means (colored blue). In the entire series, the most extreme departure of either sign is -27 F on 13 January 1963 (associated with a daily maximum: 31 F, daily minimum: 8 F)
The third chart down shows the second chart’s departures in deseasonalized or “standardized” form. Standardized anomalies are calculated by dividing the arithmetic anomaly by the climatological mean temperature standard deviation for the calendar day in question, creating “z-scores”. Through 2010, the most extreme z-score was -3.90z, also for 13 January 1963
The fourth chart down depicts daily rainfall, as high as 2.58 inches (21 August 1957), the fifth (when applicable) shows snowfall, as high as 4.7 inches (12 January 1949), and the sixth (when applicable) snow depth, as high as 7 inches (also on 12 January 1949)
YEAR-TO-YEAR GRAPHS – COMPLETE SET OF LINKS
1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
LINKS TO YEAR-TO-YEAR GRAPHS OF INTEREST, WITH ACCOMPANYING NOTES

1949 – Very cold January; 16.7″ snowfall – most for any month in history. Coldest year, 1949-present (64.3 F)
1950 – Warmest September day in history down to the present: 113 F on 1st. Record latest in the season 90 F or higher recorded on 29 October.
1952 – Coldest March on record. Coldest November minima in history (21 F) on 27-28th
1953 – Driest year in history, just 0.56″.
1955 – Persistent below normal temperature spells through July; 3.29″rain over July and August
1957 – 2.58″ rain on 12 August, most for any single day in history. Coldest November in history
1959– July warmest calendar month (93.4 F) until July 2002.
1961 – Hot Summer – daily max temperatures reach 110 F or higher 21 times. Most until 1994. 116 F on 11 July.
1963 – Frigid two-day spell in January: 29 F/14 F on 12th, 31 F/8 F on 13th (8 F coldest in history)
1965 – Wettest April (2.44″) and wettest November (2.22″) in history.
1967 – Latest 32 F or lower temperature on record (32 F on 12 April). Coolest April on record.
1969 – Record wet May (0.69″).
1971 – Highly fluctuating anomalies in temperature over course of the year – mostly below normal. Record cold daily minima for March (23 F), and November (26 F). Coldest October on record.
1972 – Very mild February & March. Severe cold snap in early December; Daily temperature range 32 F/20 F on 10th.
1974 – Frigid two-day spell in early January: 31 F/13 F on 2nd, 32 F/12 F on 3rd, but overall, a tie for warmest year to date (with ’54, ’58, & ’59)
1975 – 77 F on 26 January, record high temperature for that month.
1977– Warmest year to date by 1.1 F.
1978 – 103 F 1 October, highest ever recorded in that month.
1979 – Cold late January/early February. 1.56″ on 12 August, second highest individual day’s total on record. 110 F on 8 September, latest 110 F or higher temp in history
1983 – 1.25″ rain in August on nine days. 17th and 18th only reach 74 F.
1984 – Record wet July (2.48″).
1986 – Record warm maximum for all of February (87 F on 26th). Very Cool late September.

1987 –”Coolest” temperature ever recorded in July (60 F).
1988 – Record warm maximum for all of November (87 F on 1st).

1989 – Record cold minimum for all of February (16 F on 7th), but very forward March and April. Warmest April in history.
1990 – Severe cold snap in late December; 11 F on 23rd coldest temperature recorded since Jan. 1963. December coldest month (40.2 F) since January 1949. Record wet June (0.97″)
1991 – Very warm September and October.
1992 – Record “wet” calendar year (9.88″). During El Nino episode of winter ’91-’92, March totals 4.80″, most for any individual calendar month in history.
1993 – 48 F in June sets new low mark for that month
1994 – Hot Summer; 22 days at 110 F or higher, surpassing 1961’s record (21 days). 115 F in June sets new high mark for that month
1995 – During ’94-’95 El Nino episode, wettest January on record (3.00″). Warmest February in history by 2.7 F. 116 F/93 F on 17 July, 116 F/92 F on 18th, and 117 F/95 F on 19th. Latter day with highest daily maximum AND minimum in history.
1996 – Warmest year to date (69.4 F) by 0.2 F.
1997 – Wettest September in history (2.06″)
1998 – During Great El Nino episode of ’97-’98, wettest February in history (2.89″)
2000 – Warmest year to date (69.7 F)
2001 – Warmest year to date (69.8 F).
2003 – Warmest year to date (70.2 F); warmest October in history.
2004 – Warmest March in history; earliest 100 F or higher, on 4 May; wettest December in history (2.10″).
2005 – Wettest October in history (1.45″).
2006 – Warmest June in history.
2007 – Warmest year in history (71.0 F); earliest 90 F or higher, on 13 March; warmest November in history
2008 – In another otherwise warm year, sharp cool spell in late May; 3.6″ snowfall in December.
2009 – Warmest May and September in history.
2010 – July warmest calendar month in Las Vegas history (96.2 F); earliest 110 F or higher, on 6 June.
2012 – Warmest Calendar Year in history (71.2 F)

* Member, American Meteorological Society