High Wind in Nevada, November 11, 2024

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Reno NV
239 AM PST Mon Nov 11 2024

.SYNOPSIS...

* Gusty southwest winds will impact aviation, travel, and
  recreation today

* Rain and snow showers along a cold front will then quickly track
  over the Sierra into western NV this afternoon and evening.

* A brief break in active weather Tuesday and Wednesday will end
  late in the week with additional rain and snow chances, as well
  as gusty southwest winds.

&&

.DISCUSSION...

By the time this forecast discussion will hits the virtual streets,
gusty southwest winds will have already increased beyond 80 mph for
most higher ridgetops west of Lake Tahoe. This quick moving pre-
winter storm system will bring periods of gusty southwest winds, as
well as mountain snow and valley rain showers.

* Gusty Winds: Ahead of the incoming cold front, these gusty
  conditions will continue across higher terrain areas until
  mixing down into lower valleys later this morning. Both Hi-Res
  and blended simulations show increased southwest winds gusting
  35-45 mph through this afternoon before gradually tapering off
  later this evening. Some wind prone areas like the Hwy-395
  corridors in Lassen, Douglas, and Mono Counties have a 30-50%
  chance for wind gusts peaking 50+ mph. I-580 corridor through
  the Washoe Valley to include the Galena Bridge has a 20-40%
  chance for wind gusts to 60 mph late morning into the afternoon.
  Winds with this incoming storm system will not be the only
  element bringing impacts to region.

* Mountain Snow/Valley Rain: Higher elevation snow and valley rain
  has already advanced into northeast CA with the incoming cold
  front. Light to moderate showers will continue to push quickly
  across the remainder of the Sierra to include the Lake Tahoe
  Basin later this morning before spilling-over into the Basin and
  Range through this afternoon. This system will finally drive
  east of Hwy- 95, and southeast into the Eastern Sierra and Mono
  County this evening. Snow levels will start off between
  6000-7000 feet this morning, and drop quickly to 5000-6000 feet
  this afternoon. This will quickly bring impacts to higher Sierra
  passes during the afternoon and evening commute over mountain
  roads. Blended guidance favors 4-6 inches of total snow falling
  across mountain passes this afternoon before ending by early
  evening. Higher Sierra ridges will benefit the most with terrain
  favored areas having at least a 30-40% for 8+ inches of new snow
  across their higher margins. Liquid precipitation amounts
  0.60-0.75" have an even chance of falling across the Sierra from
  the Lake Tahoe Basin northward. With the quickly falling snow
  levels, western fringes around Lake Tahoe along Hwy-89 have a
  60-80% chance for up to 2.0 inches of accumulated snow as well.
  Much of the precipitation spilling into western NV will be
  shadowed. Therefore, many areas across the Basin and Range north
  of Hwy-50 will only see a few hundredths of an inch of
  rainfall.

More detailed information about advisories in affect across the
region are available at https://www.weather.gov/rev. It also would
be advised to check the road conditions via state DOT websites such
as Caltrans Quickmap (quickmap.dot.ca.gov)and Nevada 511
(nvroads.com) if you plan over Sierra passes this afternoon and
evening. -Amanda

&&

.AVIATION...

* Southwest winds ahead of an approaching cold front will bring
  gusty conditions to main terminals. Gusts will at times peak at
  25-30 kts with periods of mountain wave turbulence from the
  Sierra Crest eastward into western NV. LLWS will continue into
  this afternoon, but subside after 00Z.

* VFR conditions will continue for Sierra TAF sites until the
  leading edge of showers pushes into the region around 17-20Z.
  Look for periods of light to moderate rain/snow showers bringing
  MVFR/IFR CIG/VIS conditions and mountain obscurations through
  the afternoon and early evening. Hi-Res guidance projects
  showers ending around 00-02Z. Overnight into Tuesday morning
  there will be an increased chance for areas of freezing fog and
  LIFR CIG/VIS conditions developing after 09Z across the Martis
  Valley to include KTRK and other Sierra valleys as well.

* VFR conditions will last a little longer until around 19-21Z for
  western NV TAF sites as showers spillover east of the Sierra
  Crest into lower elevation areas. Look for brief periods of
  MVFR CIG/VIS conditions and mountain obscurations in light to
  moderate showers until around 00-02Z by which time the cold
  front will be exiting east into west-central NV. Will continue
  to monitor the upcoming weather system as it develops and adjust
  TAFs as needed. -Amanda

&&

.REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
NV...Lake Wind Advisory until 7 PM PST this evening NVZ002.

     Winter Weather Advisory from noon today to 10 PM PST this
     evening NVZ002.

     Lake Wind Advisory from 1 PM this afternoon to 7 PM PST this
     evening NVZ004.

CA...Lake Wind Advisory until 7 PM PST this evening CAZ072.

     Winter Weather Advisory from noon today to 10 PM PST this
     evening CAZ072.

&&