This week the heat really started in Las Vegas for the summer. While we have been seeing temperatures rise year over year in the city, with each summer being hotter than the last, it is nearly impossible to predict with any accuracy exactly when the hot weather will start. We all know it is coming, but you can literally get one week where it is pleasant and warm and the next week where it is unbearably hot. For this summer, that hot period seems to have officially started this week, with our first excessive heat warnings happening, and temperatures expected to be nearly 110 degrees for multiple days in a row. This is the time when we need to start paying attention to the heat if we are outside, bringing water with us when we go out, and making sure to never leave children or pets in cars, even if they are running. Many tourists who are traveling to Las Vegas will also have plans to take a trip outside the city to a national park like Zion, and when they see weather predictions for the city that show dangerous levels, they may begin to be worried about their decisions to be outside for the day. Let us clear up a few misconceptions about the areas, and the temperatures that you are likely to find.
While it is quite difficult to predict how hot it will be in Zion on the day of your trip, we can say with a certain degree of accuracy that it will probably not be as hot as Las Vegas on that day. The heat in the southwestern United States is based on many factors like elevation and mountain surroundings, and one of the reasons that Las Vegas gets so hot is due to it being a valley that is surrounded by mountains. This will cause heat trapping in certain areas, and ultimately result in quite different temperatures across different areas that many tourists would think would remain consistent. Zion is usually cooler than Las Vegas, and as an example today it is 104 degrees in Las Vegas, 108 degrees at Lake Mead, 106 degrees at the Grand Canyon and a comfortable 88 degrees at Zion. This temperature difference is not due to the sun being in different positions or intensities in these areas, but instead it has to do with the location and topography. On a day when it would be wiser to stay indoors in Las Vegas due to heat issues, you can comfortably hike and remain outdoors all day at Zion Canyon. The current temperature of almost 90 degrees there is actually above the ideal hiking weather of the low eighties, however it is far lower than the heat that you will get at areas that are more of a classic desert like Las Vegas. So definitely wear warm weather clothing and expect it to be far hotter in Las Vegas when you leave in the morning, but expect Zion to actually be a welcomed relief from the heat that you will see in the city!