585 FXUS65 KREV 231039 AFDREV Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Reno NV 239 AM PST Sun Feb 23 2020 .SYNOPSIS... Breezy west to northwest winds will develop today as a system moves through the Pacific Northwest. Lighter winds return early this week as high pressure settles into northeast California and western Nevada. Dry conditions continue into next week with temperatures warming to 10-15 degrees above average by mid to late next week. && .SHORT TERM... No significant adjustments were made to the previous forecast. A system moving through the Pacific Northwest will push a dry frontal boundary through the region today bringing some breezy northwest winds with gusts 20-30 mph. These gusts will be sufficient to loft dust off of playas for the afternoon. Expect some lower visibility and air quality associated with blowing dust mainly east of Fallon and Highway 95A. Winds will taper off overnight with flow shifting northerly for Monday. Ridging begins to resurge in earnest by Tuesday with temperatures warming above seasonal averages. Otherwise, vegetation moisture continues to decrease as the region remains abnormally dry. While it's outside of our normal awareness window, keep fire safety tips in mind and take care not to cause any sparks. For more information on fire safety tips, go to livingwithfire.com. -Boyd .LONG TERM...Wednesday into the first week of March... Blocking pattern remains in place off the West Coast through the end of the week with warming temperatures to well above normal and generally light winds. High temperatures will be about 10-15 degrees above normal to end the work week. High temperatures on Thursday and Friday will reach into the upper 60s across western Nevada, with 50s in the Sierra. As temperatures aloft warm up, this will limit ventilation across the region. Low pressure drops into the Pacific Northwest and eventually into northern CA/NV by the weekend. Winds will increase on Saturday ahead of this next low pressure system and associated cold front. Current forecast reflects a blend of models, but if the ECMWF is correct it could get pretty gusty next weekend as this front moves in. Latest ensembles are still not too excited about precipitation into the region, although it does look like an increasing trend over the last 24 hours for at least some light precipitation on Sunday as the low pressure drops through the region. This storm looks to bring at least some light snow to the Sierra next weekend, but at this time it looks pretty meager, only a few inches. Gusty north winds and colder temperatures are expected behind the front on Sunday. The eastern Pacific ridge wants to rebuild as we go into early March, meaning that the storm track will continue to bring northwest flow over the region, with a drier than normal forecast for the first half of March. -Hoon && .AVIATION... Gusty west-northwest winds will be likely for today (although nothing exceptional). Gusts 20-25 kts (locally to 30 kts for wind- prone areas) are possible with stronger winds possible to the north of KSVE and KLOL. Light-moderate turbulence will be possible due to increased west-northwest flow over terrain. High pressure remains over the region next week with light winds and VFR conditions. -Snyder/Hoon && .REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NV...None. CA...None. && $$ For more information from the National Weather Service visit... http://weather.gov/reno |