Weather in Las Vegas in August

The month to avoid. August is the month most people should skip in Las Vegas. Daytime highs average 40.2 °C and the afternoon is not negotiable — outdoor plans move to early morning or evening.

August ranks 12 of 12 — near the bottom of Las Vegas's year. April is the month that works, and the swing between the two is 67 points, which is a different holiday rather than a slightly better one.

Rain falls on only 4 days, so an itinerary with no wet-weather fallback is a reasonable risk. Pack for heat management rather than style: shade, water, and a schedule that gives up on the middle of the day.

What the averages hide

Averages flatten a month, and this one hides a few things: 29 days of the month clear 35 °C — that is not a heatwave, it is the month. Across the twenty years measured, the hottest August day reached 46.3 °C and the coldest night fell to 15.8 °C, and the wettest single day dropped 28 mm — roughly 187% of the month's rain in one day.

August is moderately variable: 0 mm in the driest year against 45 mm in the wettest, around an average of 15 mm. Roughly two Augusts in three land near that average, and the third does something else entirely.

Wind is light at 8.7 km/h, so the temperature on the page is close to the temperature on your skin, and the air is dry at 24% humidity, which makes the heat far more bearable than the same figure somewhere humid — and dehydrates you faster than you expect.

How August sits in the year

Temperatures hold steady either side: 41.5 °C in July, 40.2 here, 36.1 in September. Nothing about the timing within the month matters much.

Daylight in August

13.6 hours of daylight, losing 1 hours across the month. That is between Las Vegas's extremes of 14.6 and 9.7 hours, so days are long enough not to constrain the plan.

An inland climate

With no coast nearby, the year swings a fair way — 38.7 °C between the warmest afternoons and the coldest nights, wider than any coastal city at this latitude would manage. Within August itself the daily swing is 14.7 °C, so mornings and afternoons need different clothes.

How busy it gets

Off season. The genuine off season: cheapest by a distance, with the caveat that some tours and restaurants close entirely.

Crowd levels are estimated from climate desirability and school-holiday calendars, not from visitor numbers.

August in Las Vegas versus nearby

If Las Vegas is one option among several, the nearby comparison is worth making. Riverside is a better bet in August — 3.1 °C cooler, 3 days less rain. Sedona is a better bet in August — 6.7 °C cooler, 10 days more rain.

So: August is a compromise. April is 67 points better and is what Las Vegas is actually like at its best — worth moving the trip for if that is possible, and worth adjusting expectations for if it is not.

Every month in Las Vegas

See all twelve months in Las Vegas, or where else to go in August.