


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Las Vegas, NV
Issued by NWS Las Vegas, NV
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401 FXUS65 KVEF 062337 AFDVEF Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 347 PM PST Thu Mar 6 2025 .SYNOPSIS...Chances of precipitation push through the forecast area this evening along a band extending from northwest-to- southeast. Light showery activity continue in the Southern Great Basin tonight through Friday morning before conditions clear out through the day Friday. Gusty southwest winds expected into this evening across the Mojave Desert, with breezy northwest winds in the southwestern Great Basin. Temperatures moderate over the weekend with clear skies before unsettled weather returns next week. && .SHORT TERM...Through Friday Night. A reinforcing piece of energy will dig south along the backside of the broad upper level trough tonight into Friday.This will help hang back and enhance the negative tilt of the main upper level trough as it tries to shift east. So the first low center thats bringing our precipitation chances through this evening in Lincoln, Clark, and northern Mohave counties will lift northeast and decrease precipitation chances in those areas tonight, meanwhile the second shortwave will result in an uptick in precipitation chances in Inyo, Esmeralda, and central Nye counties. Moisture with this second wave will be rapidly decreasing, so precipitation impacts will be more isolated and lower than what occurred yesterday. The best chances will be in the terrain. The system is a quick mover so precipitation would also be limited in time. By Friday morning, precipitation chances will shift into the terrain of the Spring Mountains and Lincoln County with similar expectations and impacts as what occurred further west. a Winter Storm Warning continues through 10AM Friday on the Spring Mountains as well as in Lincoln County above 5000ft, though the best chance for additional snow accumulations and snow impacts will be through the first part of tonight with the first exiting wave. Additional accumulations of an inch or two are possible with this second wave, which may be quick hitting so will keep the Winter Storm Warning going for now especially as it snows through this evening which will impact roadways. On Friday, the second wave will round the base of the trough axis and shift into eastern Nevada and Arizona. Moisture will be too low to get much precipitation, though some isolated showers in the terrain of eastern Lincoln through Mohave County are possible at times with the better dynamics then cold core processes in the afternoon. Precipitation and impacts will be limited Friday afternoon with anything that develops. By Friday night, the entire trough begins to move away and even drier air filters in on northerly flow- thus dry conditions are likely Friday night. Winds continue to be gusty late this afternoon. Widespread southwest gusts of 30-40 MPH have been reported through San Bernardino, Clark, and parts of Mohave County associated with the base of the upper level trough. The strongest winds continue to be in the Western Mojave Desert where gusts to around 40 MPH are still being reported and a wind advisory is i effect through this evening. A wind advisory also remains in effect for the valleys of southern Clark County through this evening, and while gusts have dropped closer to 30 MPH, with strong crosswinds expected to continue through the evening commute- will not make any changes to the wind headline at this time. Gusty southwest winds will continue across southern portions of the area through this evening then dissipate tonight. Meanwhile, winds will become north to northwest through Friday morning with the second piece of energy digging through the area. Probabilities for gusts over 40 MPH do jump to 70%+ tonight in parts of Esmeralda, Nye, and eastern Inyo County, however those higher probabilities are main in the terrain while valleys will likely see gusts to around 25 MPH so impacts should be limited. By morning, the wave will lose its vigor and begin to phase with the main trough, so winds will not pack as much of a punch on Friday. North to northwest winds are expected across the region Friday with gusts of 15 to 25 MPH expected in the valleys and gusts up to 30 MPH possible in the terrain. High temperatures on Friday will be a bit warmer than today as we should see more sun than we did today. .LONG TERM...Saturday through next Thursday. By Saturday, we will see ridging building in over the area as the upper-level trough responsible for the unsettled weather exits the region. As this ridge builds over the area we will see gusty winds down the Colorado River Valley on Saturday as a result of the north-south pressure gradient. These winds will result in choppy waves and difficult boating conditions on Lake Mohave. Winds will relax down the Colorado River Valley on Sunday with temperatures returning to near-normal for early March. Sunday`s mild weather will be short-lived as our active weather pattern is set to continue with another low pressure system impacting the region during the first half of next week. While it is too early to start talking about the finer details of next week`s forecast due to interensemble discrepancies regarding the evolution and trajectory of this system, we can expect the return of gusty winds, cooler-than-normal temperatures, and increased precipitation chances. Long term guidance shows another system following on the heels of this early week system, which will keep the unsettled weather going through the end of the week. && .AVIATION...For Harry Reid...For the 00Z Forecast Package... Winds will continue to gradually decrease into this evening before falling below 10 knots after 09Z. While wind directions should remain mainly westerly, a few convective showers in the vicinity of the field through 03Z, and any of these will have the potential to disrupt the westerly winds and produce gusty variable winds for a short period. Around daybreak tomorrow, winds should veer to the northwest, with gusts to around 20 knots developing by late morning and continuing through the afternoon. Skies should remain SCT to BKN with any CIGs remaining 10kft AGL or higher. However, FEW to SCT clouds with bases of 6kft to 8kft AGL are possible into this evening, especially closer to the higher terrain west of the field. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...For the 00Z Forecast Package...Conditions at the Las Vegas area TAF sites will be similar to what is described above for Harry Reid, except the wind shift to the north for KHND will be delayed until closer to 17Z. Winds at KBIH will remain northerly, with gusts to around 20 knots continuing into this evening before decreasing overnight. A few showers in the vicinity of the field will be possible through early evening, although the chances of rain falling at the field are low (less than 20%). Winds on Friday will increase out of the north during the morning, with a 35 to 40 percent chance of seeing gusts over 30 knots after 16Z. Winds at KDAG will remain gusty into the evening, with occasional gusts of up to 40 knots. Winds will decrease overnight only to increase out of the west again tomorrow. In the Colorado River Valley, southwest-to- west winds gusting to near 30 knots will continue into this evening. Winds will decrease to less than 12 knots overnight and should turn to the north after 15Z tomorrow, with gusts to 25kts returning by the afternoon. Skies should remain SCT to BKN with any CIGs remaining 10kft AGL or higher at most sites. CIGs near KBIH may fall to 6kft to 8kft AGL near any showers into this evening. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && $$ SHORT TERM...Nickerson LONG TERM...Stessman AVIATION...Planz For more forecast information...see us on our webpage: https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter