


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Las Vegas, NV
Issued by NWS Las Vegas, NV
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959 FXUS65 KVEF 120751 AFDVEF Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 1251 AM PDT Mon May 12 2025 .SYNOPSIS...Widespread wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph, locally stronger, are expected today along with pockets of blowing dust. Temperatures will cool five to ten degrees today and another 10 to 15 degrees Tuesday, followed by a slow rebound for the remainder of the week. && .SHORT TERM...through Tuesday night. Midnight satellite loop showed mountain-enhanced clouds coming off the Sierra Nevada, White Mountains and nearby ranges, while skies were clear farther southeast. Surface obs showed winds gusting 35 to 55 mph in the northwest zones and the higher terrain farther southeast. These winds were keeping the low levels well mixed, so temperatures were warm and dewpoints were low. The main concern for today and tonight is still wind. One change was made to the headlines - the Wind Advisory was upgraded to a High Wind Warning in the Spring Mountains and the western Clark/southern Nye County zone. In this pattern, we often see mountain waves come off the northwest corner of the Spring Mountains and impact Highway 95 near Mercury, where the mountains and highway are almost parallel, resulting in severe crosswinds. All other Advisories and Warnings look good and were left as is. Winds should begin to settle down tonight and diminish further Tuesday morning. High temperatures today will be about five to ten degrees cooler than Sunday, followed by another 10 to 15 degrees of cooling on Tuesday as the trough axis arrives. The wind and sharp cooling will be the main stories for the vast majority of our CWA, as chances for (light) precip on Tuesday will be limited to the Sierra crest and northern Lincoln County. .LONG TERM...Wednesday through Saturday. The trough responsible for Monday and Tuesday`s windy conditions and Tuesday`s sharply cooler temperatures will translate east of the region on Wednesday. In the wake of this trough, temperatures begin a gradual rebound, warming to near or above normal by the end of the week. However, the warming will be tempered somewhat by persistent northwesterly to quasi-zonal flow aloft as the western CONUS remains entrenched in a longwave trough pattern through the upcoming weekend and beyond. This pattern allows for additional disturbances to slide through the region, the next of which looks to be Sunday into Monday. Cluster analyses and ensembles remain in agreement regarding the presence of the upcoming shortwave, however discrepancies remain regarding the depth, timing, and trajectory of this system. Overall, another round of breezy to windy conditions as well as cooler temperatures could be expected, but just how windy and how cool remains in question. Stay tuned. && .AVIATION...For Harry Reid...For the 06Z Forecast Package...Gusty south-southwest winds will continue through tonight. Gusts will become more intermittent overnight, but a few gusts to around 20 knots will continue through daybreak. Winds will increase again tomorrow, with southwest gusts of 35 to 40 knots likely during the afternoon, followed by slowly improving conditions overnight and Tuesday. VFR conditions prevail with FEW-SCT high clouds with bases remaining AOA 15kft AGL. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...For the 06Z Forecast Package...Conditions at the Las Vegas area TAF sites will be similar to what is described above for Harry Reid. Elsewhere, winds will diminish overnight, although gusts of 20 to 25 knots will remain possible across the western Mojave Desert, Owens Valley, and southern Nevada. Winds will be lighter in the Colorado River Valley. Winds will increase again tomorrow with widespread areas of 30 to 40 knots winds likely, and localized gusts to 50 knots possible over and near areas of higher terrain. VFR conditions prevail with FEW-BKN clouds with bases generally remaining AOA 15kft to 20kft AGL. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && $$ SHORT TERM...Morgan LONG TERM...Phillipson AVIATION...Planz For more forecast information...see us on our webpage: https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter