[olecapt]

Originally Posted by AAPoolServiceLV

The official temp is at the airport. I work outdoors in the summer months and most newer pools have a temperature sensor that measures air/water temps. Ive seen the air temps as high as 133 in some places. I'm not sure how accurate they are, but this might have to do with the hot concrete reflecting on some of the pool equipment. But anything over 110 is freakin' hot..it really doesn't matter.

It is rather difficult to measure outside temperature. Real weather stations use a pagoda at a specified height to shield the temperature sensor and its surround from solar radiation heating while allowing full air circulation. You have to be very careful that the structure does not heat in the sun and conduct energy to the sensor.

They always read high in the summer and low in the winter.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by LV_James

A point of interest.

The official temperature in Las Vegas, according to NOAA, has never been higher than 117 degrees. That despite the fact that it is fairly common during the summer to see roadside thermometers all over town reading 120+.

Once it gets to 110 (real temperature, not official), it doesn't make much difference what part of town you are in. It's hot.

As stated above, however, you generally live, work and drive in an air conditioned environment, and once the sun goes down, it gets comfortable again.

Just my 2 cents

The "official" temp is always taken at airports because of the affect heat has on lift. But there are proper weather stations all around the Valley that may be higher or lower than the airport in both altitude and temperature. Some have registered at least as high as 120º in the lower parts of town. Notice also that it is a big valley and some areas may have wind which can affect temps, while others have no wind. Also notice there can be relatively drastic differences in precipitation on the same day.

[AA702]

Originally Posted by radraja

I believe the OP was thinking of cities like Flagstaff.

Yes, I think its like 7K high..even higher than Denver.

[dreamfollower]

Thanks, everyone. I did not realize that Vegas and its suburbs is not very vast to travel, and the comparison to an "island" describes it well.

I thought areas closer to Mt. Charleston would be cooler, but the travel time would come into question.

Now, with this nuclear site set to go, I do not know if it is such a good idea even though it is further away from that NW area, to my understanding.

A follow-up to the heat factor, is it a norm to have a generator? I would think so since an electrical outage in the peak summer months would be deadly, as would any "warming" that could take place in the future.

At what point would the heat become unlivable? {117 degrees sounds like the tipping point to me.}

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by dreamfollower

Thanks, everyone. I did not realize that Vegas and its suburbs is not very vast to travel, and the comparison to an "island" describes it well.

I thought areas closer to Mt. Charleston would be cooler, but the travel time would come into question.

Now, with this nuclear site set to go, I do not know if it is such a good idea even though it is further away from that NW area, to my understanding.

A follow-up to the heat factor, is it a norm to have a generator? I would think so since an electrical outage in the peak summer months would be deadly, as would any "warming" that could take place in the future.

At what point would the heat become unlivable? {117 degrees sounds like the tipping point to me.}

Don't let your imagination get the best of you if you want to move to Las Vegas. Yucca Mountain, where they are thinking about storing nuclear waste, is 90 miles from Las Vegas. The Nevada Test Site is closer than that where they set off hundreds of nuclear explosions, first above ground, then mostly underground. I have personally stood at the edge of the Sedan Crater and looked down inside on a tour that took us all over the Test Site where all those bombs were detonated. There is more radiation coming from the sun than there is coming from that crater. Sedan (nuclear test - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

There are nuclear weapons stored all over the U.S. on Air Force Bases, including Nellis AFB, right here in Las Vegas, and Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque. Of course, if you were there when the bomb went off and got hit with the radiation, you will probably get cancer.

Yes it is cooler near Mt. Charleston but not enough to notice until you get a ways up the road that goes to the lodge. Unfortunately for us, they are starting to build right up to that road as well as up that road itself until they get to the BLM or Forest Service land. Those homes I'd like to see bulldozed. There is a small community at roughly 7500 feet on Mt. Charleston which gets a lot of snow. There are no stores or gas stations on the mountain, and I understand from friends who lived there, it is not a fun commute. But then I have another friend who has lived up there forever and loves it. He also wrote a history of the mountain and the community.

You'd think we would all have generators if your scenario was true. But I've been here for 44 years and have never seen a blackout. Nor is it showing any signs of warming up. I've been told many stories by people who lived here in the 30s, 40s and 50s, before anyone had air conditioning in their houses. They got along just fine. 117º is hot, but it sometimes reaches 130 + º in Death Valley and people live there without even close to the infrastructure that we have.

Like FDR said, there is nothing to fear but fear itself.

[radraja]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry so much about the heat.

Summer days can get really hot. But it's nothing unbearable. Air temperatures are usually around 110 in July, but it's a dry heat. Thermometers near metal or other conductors may read higher temperatures, but they aren't necessarily representative of heat in the air. Either way, most people are at work during the day anyway. Nights tend to be very comfortable, which makes up for it.

Also - I wouldn't recommend living as far north as Mount Charleston. The level of isolation probably wouldn't appeal to you. Local northwestern areas, such as Centennial Hills and Summerlin, would probably be more suitable.

[Buzz123]

Just for the record. Mt. Charleston is west of Las Vegas. The highway, US 95, leading to the two east/west paved roads that take you up the mountain, runs north/south, and actually it eventually leads to the entrance to the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. US 95 runs from Mexico to Canada through the entire length of Nevada. Mt. Charleston is one peak in a huge range called the Spring Mountains. Most of it has been officially designated by Congress as wilderness.

[radraja]

I said north because that's the direction you drive in to get there...and I'm pretty sure that unless you live on the mountain in one of the cabins, there aren't any other neighborhoods after the westward turn.