Las Vegas Weather: Best Time To Visit
A hot day at the Venetian Hotel
Introduction
In this post I will answer the most common question - when is the best time to visit Las Vegas?
The question of when to visit Vegas largely depends on your travel goals. If your goal is obtaining cheap drinks and playing casino games, I highly recommend any off-season day during the week. Off-season is generally considered to be summer (June, July, and August) when temperatures can be blazing hot. Part of winter can be a slow time of year too, and while temperatures will be cool, for many visitors coming from substantial winter weather it can be very pleasant. Of course, sunshine is usually in abundance in Las Vegas so chances are high that whenever you visit, skies will be blue.
Yes, it does rain in Las Vegas. Winter is usually the wettest time of year if you can call it the “wettest”. Both January and February average a measly half an inch of rain. A secondary peak of precipitation occurs with the monsoon season which usually starts in July and lasts until the end of August. The total rainfall for the year only averages around 4 inches. Definitely a desert!
Let’s look at the specifics by season.
Normal temperatures and rainfall by month - Las Vegas
Winter
If you’re not looking for pool parties, winter can be very nice in Las Vegas. Average highs are at their lowest in the first week of January when they dip to 54F (12C). But it’s not unusual to have a pleasant day in the 60s or 70s even in January. Occasionally there are very brief cold spells where temperatures struggle to get out of the 30s for highs, but they do not last very long.
This is a great time of year for other outdoor activities like hiking Red Rock Canyon, visiting Valley of Fire State Park, or even skiing on nearby Mt. Charleston (left).
There is little danger of heat stroke though you do need to watch for those cold spells and even snowy days at the higher elevations outside of the city.
I generally tell people April is my favorite time to visit Las Vegas. It’s after spring break and things are a bit slower around town. Temperatures can still be chilly for a day or two but most days are very pleasant - often reaching the 70s and 80s Fahrenheit. Look at this year’s (2024) most recent April high temperatures. The first week was cool (by Las Vegas spring standards) but quickly warmed to the 70s, 80s and even 90s!
Summer
Is Vegas really that hot? Oh yeah, though because of its elevation of about 2000 ft. (600m), it struggles to get as hot as say Phoenix, Arizona. But Vegas is built to withstand the heat. You can go from an air-conditioned Uber to an air-conditioned casino and barely even feel the heat. Many casinos are either connected via air-conditioned walkways (Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, Luxor), or are connected by air-conditioned tram. For example, the Las Vegas monorail connects:
MGM Grand
Horseshoe/Paris
Flamingo & Caesars Palace
Harrah’s/The Linq
Las Vegas Convention Center
Westgate
Sahara
Temperature data for Las Vegas summer (June, July, August)
The average high temperature is at its peak from the second week of July to the first of August at 105F/41C. June, while on average a bit cooler than July and August, has shared the hottest temperature ever recorded in Las Vegas at 117F/47C. These occurred in 2021 (July) and 2017 (June).
Unlike humid places, the nighttime temperatures generally cool off some even in the summer. Expect early morning low temperatures to range from 75F/24C to 85F/29C.
July has seen a huge increase in very warm overnight temperatures due to the urban heat island of Las Vegas. A few lows in the 70s can still be found but generally it only cools to the 80s and some days are not even dropping below 90F/32C now.
Spring/Fall
There is a reason so many people visit during these two seasons. Temperatures are usually warm but not oppressive and rain is rare. It can be great pool weather unless it’s early spring or late fall. Pools are usually open from March to October but check with your hotel to see if they have any that are heated year-round.
Spring climate of Las Vegas (March, April, May)
What little winter Vegas has disappears rapidly in spring. High temperature averages go from near 70F/22C in March to over 90F/32C by the end of May. Record high temperatures all exceed 100F/38C in May so don’t be surprised to see some hot days even in late spring. Also, rain becomes even more rare in April and May.
Fall climate of Las Vegas (September, October, November)
Summer heat begins to reverse quickly in fall. Highs drop from the 90s in September all the way to the 60s by November. Monsoon rain can hang on in September and winter rain can begin early in the fall which is why all three months show near equal amounts.
Monthly Data
For specific information by month and ranks, check out our climate page.
Conclusion
So when is the best time to visit Las Vegas? Visitors looking to utilize the many resort pools will be limited to the warmer months April to October. And of those months I would recommend April because wet weather is slightly more common in October. April is a reliably warm and dry month, but not yet hot.
If your plans do not include pool activities you have a wider range of options. February is quite a slow time of the year for Las Vegas and the weather is generally dry and mild. Occasionally, winter storms do move into the area bringing rain, wind, and cold temperatures but these do not often last very long. You can even get perfect weather, sunshine and low 70s, at the end of February and first week of March.
