Breezy conditions and temperatures chilly enough to frost every martini glass on the Strip are heading to Las Vegas for the Thanksgiving holiday week.

The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for this afternoon and evening across the Mojave Desert, followed by a freeze watch late Wednesday night through Friday morning.

An arctic low pressure system will move across the intermountain region today and tonight, driving a strong cold front down through southern Nevada and surrounding areas tonight, the weather service said.

Strong southwest winds will develop across the Mojave Desert region this afternoon and evening ahead of the approaching front, forecasters said. Little moisture is expected in Las Vegas, but a few rain/snow showers will be possible to the northeast of the valley, they said.

Snow and blowing snow will be possible over the Sierra and northern Lincoln County late this afternoon and evening, forecasters said. A winter weather advisory has been issued for the eastern Sierra slopes in Inyo County and for Lincoln County.

A very cold northerly flow will develop across the entire area tonight and Wednesday, bringing record-breaking cold temperatures to the region, they said.

Temperatures will plunge below the 32-degree freezing mark Wednesday night and again Thursday night before beginning to warm Friday and into the weekend, forecasters said.

The cold air moving into the area Wednesday and Thursday will be bringing in some of the coldest air to the area in November in quite some time, forecasters said. For example, the low forecast for Las Vegas on Thanksgiving morning is in the upper 20s. The last time Las Vegas saw an upper 20s reading in November was nearly 17 years ago, when it hit 27 degrees Nov. 27, 1993.

Wind advisory

A wind advisory is in effect today from 3 p.m. to midnight for Clark County in Nevada and the northern San Bernardino County deserts in California, the weather service said.

Winds could gust as high as 37 mph today and 41 mph tonight in the Las Vegas Valley, forecasters said.

A wind advisory means that crosswinds are expected to be strong enough to make driving difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles, forecasters said.

Also, strong winds over desert areas could result in briefly lowered visibilities well under a mile at times, caused by blowing dust or sand, they said.

Freeze watch

The weather service’s freeze watch will be in effect from late Wednesday night through Friday morning.

A freeze watch is issued when temperatures below the 32-degree freezing level are possible, which could kill crops and other sensitive vegetation. Exposed water pipes should be insulated to protect them from freezing.

Morning low temperatures both Thursday and Friday will generally be between 25 and 30 degrees, in Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City, Summerlin, Blue Diamond, Searchlight, Cal-Nev-Ari, Barstow, Daggett, Baker, Mitchell Caverns, Morongo Valley, Twentynine Palms and Mesquite, forecasters said.

Winter weather advisory

A winter weather advisory for snow and blowing snow is in effect from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. today for the east slopes of the southern Sierra in Inyo County, California. The advisory area includes the cities of Aspendell and Whitney Portal.

Travelers should be prepared for snow-covered roads, limited visibilities and strong winds, forecasters said. They advised traveling early this morning or late this evening to avoid difficult driving conditions on roads such as State Route 168.

The snow will begin to fall over the east slopes north of Mount Whitney by 10 a.m. and will continue to work its way south, then start tapering off in the afternoon, forecasters said. Strong winds will combine with the snowfall to produce blowing snow, then persist into the evening after the precipitation ends.

Significant snow accumulations would be confined to areas above 8,000 feet, forecasters said. Total accumulations will be around 3 inches at 8,500-foot elevations and up to 6 inches at the crest, they said.

High to hit 57 today

At 5:56 a.m. today, the temperature at McCarran International Airport was 42 degrees. The normal low for today’s date is 41 degrees. The record low was 24 degrees, set in 1941.

Around the valley just before 6 a.m., temperatures were 38 degrees at North Las Vegas Airport, 38 degrees at Nellis Air Force Base and 37 degrees at Henderson Executive Airport.

Temperatures at McCarran were to rise today to 48 degrees by 9 a.m., to 56 degrees by noon and reach a high of 57 degrees by 1 p.m., forecasters said. The normal high for today’s date at McCarran is 63 degrees and the record high was 76 degrees, set in 1995 and 1954.

Temperatures are expected to drop to 54 degrees by 6 p.m., to 51 degrees by 9 p.m. and to 48 degrees by midnight, forecasters said.

Wednesday’s morning low will be 37 degrees and Wednesday’s high will climb to 46 degrees, they said.

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