John Locher / AP, file
People cool off in misters along the Las Vegas Strip, Sunday, July 7, 2024, in Las Vegas. Another heat wave is expected to hit the Southwest, including in Las Vegas, this week.
Monday, Dec. 2, 2024 | 1:43 p.m.
The number of heat-related deaths in Clark County in 2024 has reached 491, county officials said.
The number might wind up being higher because it takes several months of investigation to determine if a death was caused by the heat, officials said.
In 2023, the Southern Nevada Health District recorded 294 heat-related deaths, a 78% increase compared to the previous year.
The National Weather Service in Las Vegas said this summer was the hottest on record.
Temperatures in July were 6.7 degrees hotter than normal, with an average of nearly 100 degrees, the weather service said.
On July 7, the temperature reached a record 120 degrees. And for seven consecutive days in July, temperatures hit at least 115 degrees. Las Vegas saw 112 days of over 100-degree weather, beating a prior record of 100 days made in 1947.
At the beginning of September, there was an excessive heat warning for three days when temperatures reached 106 degrees. And the region was still setting heat records in October.
The average temperature in October was 76.5 degrees, just over six degrees above normal for the month, according to data posted by the weather service on X. The warmest day was Oct. 4, when temperatures reached 104 degrees.
“Unusual warmth dominated much of the month – setting a record for the warmest October since record keeping began in 1937,” the weather service said on X.