Las Vegas Weather Guide

Las Vegas lies in the middle of the desert. The arid expanse of sand is broken up by the mountain of glistening manmade constructions that make up the city of Las Vegas.

One thing you'll hear again and again is that even though Las Vegas gets very hot, the dry desert heat is not unbearable. The hottest time of the year is the summer months of June, July and August, when the mercury regularly hits 104°F; however, the humidity averages a low 22%, and even on very hot days, there's apt to be a breeze. As a precaution visitors are advised to drink plenty of water in the summer months (ice cubes don't count) particularly if you will be doing a lot of outdoor activities. Las Vegas is situated in a desert so the tendency is for daytime temperatures to be high with the evenings cooling down rapidly. There is little rainfall, with merely one or two days of rain a month.

If you visit (http://las-vegas.ixs.net/General/Las-Vegas-Tours/index.aspx ) at this time, expect to spend all of your time indoors, sheltering from the heat in air-conditioned entertainment complexes. However, there are some outdoor malls where you don’t have to worry about the sun because they have large canopies; a few with spraying machines to keep the visitors cool even in the middle of a hot summer day!

But this is the desert, and it's not hot all year round. The winter months are much cooler, with the temperature hovering at 59°F and at night dropping to 30°F (-1°C) and sometimes lower. Although rare, it does snow occasionally in Las Vegas. (The winter of 1998-99 dropped nearly 2 inches of snow on the Strip. The breeze can also become a cold, biting, strong wind of up to 40 mph and more. And so there are entire portions of the year when you won't be using that hotel pool at all (even if you want to because most of the hotels close huge chunks of those fabulous pool areas for "the season"). For the most part, winter visitors will be able to enjoy outdoor attractions, with little threat of storms or rain.

The best time to visit Las Vegas is in the spring or fall, when temperatures are surprisingly mild. The desert climate insures a minimum of rainfall, and daytime temperatures are predictably pleasant, often in the high 60s and low 70s (Fahrenheit). In any case, it’s always the right time to go to Las Vegas because climate control is a science in this desert town and you will rarely be uncomfortable while inside.

Though March through June and the month of October are the suitable months for touring Las Vegas, summer and winter are preferred by those who want to avoid the maddening crowd.

What To Bring
What to bring is largely dependent on the time of year of the visit. During winter, when temperatures get chilly, be sure to pack a warm jacket. (It's safe to leave the heavy parka at home.) Visitors in spring can probably get away with little more than a sweater and khakis, but it doesn't hurt to pack either a sweatshirt or a light windbreaker. A summer stay requires plenty of shorts and T-shirts and lots of sunscreen and a hat -- even if it's not all that hot, you can burn very easily and very fast. Also, be sure to pack some practical footwear as most of the hotels on the Strip are spaced fairly far apart.

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