Snow Advisory 10, NWS Reno, NV

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
327 PM PDT MON MAR 26 2007

.UPDATE...
GOOD SPRING FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE AREA ATTM. SNOW LEVELS HAVE
RAPIDLY DROPPED BEHIND THE FRONT DOWN TO NEAR 4000 FEET IN LASSEN
COUNTY. FRONT ESTIMATED TO BE ALONG A SHELDON-DOYLE-TRUCKEE LINE.
WITH THE RAPIDLY DROPPING SNOW LEVELS AND ACCUMULATIONS OF 1+ INCHES
PER HOUR REPORTED FROM SPOTTERS WILL ISSUE A SNOW ADVISORY FOR
LASSEN COUNTY. WINDS ARE STARTING TO DIMINISH AND WITH A HEAVY WET
SNOW...DO NOT EXPECT BLOWING TO BE MUCH OF AN ISSUE. ALREADY ALLOWED
WIND ADVISORIES FOR THE NORTH TO EXPIRE AT 5 PM.

FURTHER SOUTH...SPILLOVER BEGINNING IN THE RENO-CARSON FOOTHILLS AND
UNSTABLE PROFILE IS FAVORABLE FOR IT TO CONTINUE AND SPREAD EAST.
ALREADY SAW SOME LIGHTNING ON TOP OF PEAVINE PEAK...BUT THIS APPEARS
TO BE ISOLATED AND WILL NOT ADD TSTORMS TO AREA ATTM AS DO NOT
EXPECT THIS TO CONTINUE. STILL...MORE LIGHTNING NOT OUT OF THE REALM
OF POSSIBILITY CONSIDERING THE STRENGTH OF THE FRONT AND WILL MAKE
FUTURE ADJUSTMENTS AS NEEDED. WALLMANN

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...ISSUED AT 327 PM
SHORT TERM...
TROUGH MOVING ONSHORE WITH COLD FRONT PASSING THROUGH THE
SACRAMENTO VALLEY. ALONG AND JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED WITH SHOWERS JUST STARTING TO MOVE
INTO THE NORTHERN SIERRA.

THE BIGGER IMPACT SO FAR HAS BEEN THE WINDS...WHERE MOST LOCATIONS
ARE GUSTING BETWEEN 35 AND 55 MPH...WITH SEVERAL REPORTS OF BLOWING
DUST WITH VISIBILITIES BETWEEN 1/4 AND 1/2 MILE IN THE WESTERN NEVADA
VALLEYS. A FEW GUSTS TO 60-65 MPH ARE POSSIBLE AS THE FRONT NEARS
AND PRECIPITATION BANKS UP ALONG THE WEST SLOPES. WIND WILL NOT
DECREASE UNTIL AFTER THE FRONTAL PASSAGE...SO HAVE EXTENDED THE
WIND ADVISORY FOR WESTERN NEVADA ZONES ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-80
UNTIL 9PM. FARTHER NORTH IN LASSEN AND NORTHERN WASHOE
COUNTIES...WINDS HAVE NOT BEEN AS STRONG AND EXPECT THE WIND
ADVISORY CAN EXPIRE AS SCHEDULED AT 5 PM.

COLD FRONT SHOULD REACH THE SIERRA THIS EVENING...AND MAY BRIEFLY
GET HUNG UP BEFORE BEING PUSHED OVER THE CREST AND INTO WESTERN
NEVADA. PRECIP WILL ACCOMPANY THE COLD FRONT ALONG WITH RAPIDLY
FALLING SNOW LEVELS. SNOW LEVEL WILL DROP TO 3500-4000 FEET BY
MORNING. BEST TIMING FOR THE FRONTAL PASSAGE IN THE RENO AREA IS
BETWEEN 8 PM AND MIDNIGHT. RADAR AND SATELLITE SHOW THE HEAVIEST
PRECIPITATION WILL BE WITH THE FRONT...AND LIKELY LAST LESS THAN
12 HOURS. RADAR ECHOS BEHIND THE FRONT ARE VERY MINIMAL...SO
PRECIPITATION WILL END ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO AFTER THE FRONT PASSES.
THE COLD AND MOIST WEST FLOW BEHIND THE FRONT WILL KEEP SNOW
SHOWERS GOING ALONG THE SIERRA CREST THROUGH THE NIGHT AND INTO THE
EARLY PART OF TOMORROW. NOT OVERLY CONFIDENT WARNING LEVEL
ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE REACHED DUE TO THE SHORT TIME FRAME OF THE
EVENT...BUT HAVE FOLLOWED THE PREVIOUS SHIFT IN ALLOWING THE
WARNING TO RUN.

SNOW WILL TAPER OFF TO SCATTERED SHOWERS TOMORROW MORNING AS THE
COLD POOL ARRIVES. HIGHS WILL BE WELL BELOW NORMAL WITH MANY AREAS
REMAINING IN THE UPPER 50S. TEMPERATURES WILL START TO REBOUND ON
WEDNESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BEGINS TO REBUILD OVER THE WEST. BRONG

.LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...
DIRTY RIDGE PERSISTS OVER THE WEST COAST THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD
BRINGING ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND DRY CONDITIONS. SHORTWAVE
ENERGY MOVING OVER THE RIDGE INTO THE PACNW WILL PREVENT THE RIDGE
FROM AMPLIFYING AND KEEP TEMPERATURES FROM RISING TOO MUCH...MAINLY
UPPER 60S IN VALLEYS AND MID TO UPPER 50S IN THE MOUNTAINS. THIS
PASSING ENERGY WILL ALSO SPREAD SOME HIGH CLOUDS OVER THE NRN ZONES
AND KICK UP AFTERNOON WEST WINDS...HOWEVER WINDS WILL GENERALLY BE
LIGHT. JORDAN
&&

.AVIATION...
PRECIP BAND ASSOCIATED WITH APPROACHING COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO
SPREAD INTO THE CENTRAL SIERRA BY 22Z AND THE SRN SIERRA BY 02Z. THE
FRONT WILL STALL AGAINST THE SIERRA UNTIL 02-04Z WITH CONTINUED
STRONG WINDS AND BLOWING DUST IN THE LEE OF THE SIERRA UNTIL THEN.
FRONTAL PASSAGE IS EXPECTED AT KRNO AROUND 03Z AND KLOL/KNFL AROUND
05Z.

PRECIP WISE...KTRK/KTVL MAY START OUT AS -RA HOWEVER FREEZING LEVELS
WILL RAPIDLY DROP WITH PERIODS OF IFR AND OCCASIONAL LIFR CONDITIONS
IN MDT SNOW 00-06Z. VERY LITTLE WILL MAKE IT OVER THE SIERRA WITH
ONLY BRIEF -SHRA EXPECTED AT KRNO AS THE FRONT PASSES. PRECIP WILL
REGENERATE OVER THE GREAT BASIN MAINLY EAST OF KNFL/KLOL WITH MVFR
OR MARGINAL IFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE 06-14Z. JORDAN
&&

.REV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NV...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR NVZ002.

     WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR NVZ001-003.

     BLOWING DUST ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING FOR NVZ004.

CA...SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM THIS EVENING FOR CAZ071.

     WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 AM PDT TUESDAY
     FOR CAZ073.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PDT TUESDAY FOR CAZ072.

&&

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