NOTE: Some of the data on this page has not been verified and should be used with that in mind. It may and occasionally will, be wrong. The tide reports are by xtide and are NOT FOR NAVIGATION. Privacy and Cookie policy

FXUS65 KVEF 052226 AFDVEF

Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 226 PM PST Tue Dec 5 2023

SYNOPSIS
Warmer than normal and dry conditions will persist through Thursday with strong gusty winds in the Eastern Sierra tomorrow. Temperatures will cool down to more seasonal values as a system rolls through to our north. Temperatures look to rebound early next week as ridging sets up over the southwestern US.

SHORT TERM
through Friday.

Outside of breezy northerly winds in the lower Colorado River Valley, weather across the region will be relatively quiet today, with temperatures 5-10 degrees warmer than normal. A shortwave trough will swing through north-central California tomorrow out ahead of the larger system forecast to roll through the Pacific Northwest/Great Basin region on Thursday and Friday. The Eastern Sierra will receive a glancing blow from this shortwave before it lifts to the north. As a result, the Eastern Sierra Slopes will see strong gusty southwesterly/westerly winds tomorrow, with gusts approaching 70 mph in the crest of the Sierra. The likelihood of downslope winds strong enough to warrant the issuance of a Wind Advisory for the Owens Valley (wind gusts > 40 mph) remain under 30%. Should downslope winds manifest and make it to the Owens Valley floor, it would most likely occur between 8:00 pm PST and 10:00 pm PST. The most likely locations to experience downslope winds should they develop will be western/southwestern Bishop, Independence, and the area between Olancha and Lone Pine. Winds in the Eastern Sierra will decrease tomorrow evening as the shortwave responsible lifts off to the northeast.

A second, slightly stronger trough will follow on the heels of Wednesday's shortwave. This second system will bring breezy westerly winds to the western Mojave Desert on Thursday and breezy northwesterly winds to southern Nevada on Friday as the trough axis swings through. The passage of this trough will bring more than breezy northwesterly winds, it will also bring cooler more seasonal temperatures to the area on Friday.

LONG TERM
Saturday through next Tuesday.

Cooler temperatures will linger across the region on Saturday with breezy north winds lingering down the Colorado River Valley. Ridging will begin to build in over the southwest in the wake of our late week system on Saturday. This ridge will bring us slightly warmer than normal temperatures to start off the week. The main points of uncertainty regarding the long term forecast remain the location and amplitude of the ridge as we head into next week. Should the ridge set up further to the west, out over the Pacific, it would leave the door open for potential insider slider systems to drop into the area. However, if the ridge sets up directly overhead, it would allow for additional warming and mild weather.

AVIATION
For Harry Reid...Expect light winds favoring typical diurnal trends with no operationally significant clouds or weather expected through Thursday.

For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...Expect locally gusty north winds of 20 to 30 knots in the Colorado River Valley through the afternoon decreasing tonight, with local north breezes on Wednesday. West to southwest winds will increase over the Sierra crest on Wednesday, with gusts up to 60 knots producing severe turbulence on the east side of the range.
These winds will be accompanied by a band of clouds as low as 10K feet MSL, which could result in obscuration of the highest peaks of the White Mountains. The clouds will decrease and the winds will slowly subside and move farther south Wednesday night and Thursday, with westerly gusts up to 30 knots in the Barstow area Thursday.

SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT
Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures.

toggle option: (graph/table)

Full Color Weather Map

Link to Loop


Other links: GEOS-West     Contential US     Full GOES-East

Edwards AFB, CA,