Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Reno, NV

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021
FXUS65 KREV 012130
AFDREV

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Reno NV
130 PM PST Mon Dec 1 2025

.KEY MESSAGES...

* After a brief warmup Tuesday, a cold front will bring a sharp
  cooldown and increasing breezes Tuesday night through Wednesday.

* Most locations will see their coldest night so far this season
  on Wednesday night, with lows mainly in the teens to lower 20s.

* Dry conditions are expected to prevail for the upcoming week,
  with only a low end chance for showers near the Oregon border
  Saturday.

&&

.DISCUSSION...

Although we are starting off December on the cooler side, November
was notable for some warmer weather records in Reno--see the
Climate segment below for more details.

Valley inversions are limiting temperature rises for lower
elevations today as high pressure holds firmly off the CA coast.
We`ll see weaker inversions and a brief warm-up Tuesday (highs
mainly in the 50s) as a low pressure trough approaches from the
north. Dry conditions will prevail, although a swath of thicker
cloud cover passing through the region Tuesday morning could
produce virga and a few stray sprinkles or flurries in the Sierra.
West to northwest winds will increase on ridges during the day
Tuesday with gusts 40-50 mph, while for lower elevations we`ll see
a smaller increase in afternoon breezes with gusts 20-25 mph.

As this trough drops southward into the eastern Great Basin
Tuesday night and to near the Four Corners area on Wednesday, a
dry cold front will push quickly southward across western NV.
Latest guidance has essentially removed any lingering rain or snow
chances for the eastern Sierra or western NV.

The primary impact of this mid-week system will be a sharp flip to
chilly temperatures and brisk winds. Winds will shift to northeast
and then east Tuesday night-Wednesday with ridge top gusts
peaking near 50-60 mph, while for lower elevations gusts will
generally range from 15-25 mph. Western shores of Lake Tahoe and
southern shores of Pyramid Lake can expect a short period of
increased chop mainly Wednesday morning, although conditions look
to remain below advisory criteria. Despite limited cloud cover,
Wednesday will be notably colder behind the front with highs only
in the lower-mid 40s across the region, down about 15 degrees
from Tuesday. This sets the stage for widespread cold conditions
Wednesday night with lows mainly in the teens and lower 20s, while
colder Sierra valleys such as Bridgeport could see lows down to
near 10 degrees. Valley inversions will persist through Thursday
with highs only edging upward slightly into the mid 40s-near 50
for most areas.

For late this week into the upcoming weekend, the latest guidance
has trended toward a drier scenario with just enough northward and
inland expansion of the high pressure ridge into CA/NV to hold the
main storm track over the Pacific Northwest states. The only
potential exception is a shortwave passage on Saturday bringing
about 10-20% shower chances near the OR border. A smaller set
(about 15-20%) of the ensemble cluster guidance dips the southern
edge of the storm track closer to the Sierra by early next week,
but this potential has trended lower with a larger majority of the
scenarios staying on the drier side. Light winds will keep some
valley inversions through the weekend, although the air mass won`t
be as cold with highs rebounding into the 50s for most locations.
MJD

&&

.AVIATION...

Winds remain light and terrain-driven through Tuesday morning. By
Tuesday afternoon, west to northwest FL100 gusts increase to
35-45 kt with increasing mountain wave turbulence. These winds
will shift to the NE-E Tuesday night-Wednesday, with FL100 gusts
increasing to near 50 kt Wednesday AM. For the main terminals, the
wind increase will be less significant, with gusts to 20 kt at
times from 22Z Tues thru 22Z Wed, mainly for the Sierra terminals.

Otherwise, VFR conditions prevail through the next few days with
a band of thicker mid-level cloud cover passing through tonight
and Tues AM between 06-15Z for the main terminals except about 3
hours later for KMMH. MJD

&&

.CLIMATE...

November 2025 set a few highlights for Reno`s climate history:

* Tied for warmest November on record (along with 2017) with a
  monthly average temperature of 48.7 degrees.

* Warmest temperature for any day in November: 78 degrees on the
  1st, previous record of 77 degrees occurred several times
  between November 1-5.

* Latest date (November 19) for first freezing temperature (32
  degrees or less) in the fall season, previous record November 16
  2016.

* 12th wettest November with 1.54 inches of precipitation. Well
  off the record (3.08 inches in 1983) but the wettest November
  since 2015 (2.10 inches).

MJD

&&

.REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
NV...None.
CA...None.
&&

$$