textproduct: Elko

KEY MESSAGES

1200 PM PST Mon Mar 3 2026

* Periods of precipitation expected Wednesday afternoon through Thursday evening

* Increasing chances of accumulating valley snow Wednesday night and Thursday morning

* Breezy to windy conditions will develop Wednesday and Thursday across the forecast area

DISCUSSION

(This afternoon through next Tuesday)

WEATHER PATTERN OVERVIEW: An upper trough of low pressure will move into northern and central Nevada Wednesday evening into Thursday resulting in more periods of precipitation. Precipitation is expected to start as valley rain with snow levels staying above 6500 feet due to warmer temperatures, then transition to snow overnight as much cooler temperatures behind the front will drop now levels to 3500-4000 ft. Valleys could see up to 0.1 to 1 inch of accumulating snow with higher passes and summits seeing up to 1-2 inches. Mountains are expected to receive much more snow, up to 3-7 inches, up to a foot for Ruby Mountains. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for northern Elko County and the Ruby Mountains until Thursday evening. The cold front from the trough is also expected to increase winds across the area with speeds up to 15-25 mph, gusts as high as 40-45 mph. A Wind Advisory has been issued for central Nevada Thursday. Temperatures Wednesday will start out warm in the 50s to 60s with overnight temperatures dropping into the 20s from the passing cold front. This will lead Thursday to be much colder with temperatures up to 10 degrees below normal during the day.

Friday, temperatures remain below normal as the low pressure system begins to cut-off from the main front and extend towards southern California. No additional precipitation is expected with winds staying breezy from the north/northeast at 10-15 mph, gusts 20-25 mph. Over the weekend, a warming trend returns as the cut- off low pushes south and warmer Pacific air moves in, increasing temperatures up to 10 degrees above normal across the region by Sunday and into Monday.

Tuesday, models are showing the cut-off low to the south moving eastward and being absorbed into the next trough pattern across CONUS, however discrepancies arise with the extent of the trough, with some models showing more northwesterly flow over Nevada while others show a more zonal flow. This pattern will be monitored as it approaches as weather patterns differ depending on what the outcome is for the systems.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE & DEVIATIONS: High confidence of upper trough pushing into Nevada providing periods of precipitation. High confidence of valley snow Thursday night with much cooler temperatures behind the cold front. High confidence of high winds Thursday. High confidence of warming trend over the weekend. Low confidence of upper trough over Nevada next week. Adjusted wind grids to reflect higher winds Thursday.

AVIATION

Look for VFR conditions across all terminals over the next 24 hour period with some light cloud coverage. Next weather impact is expected Wednesday afternoon with periods of rain and overnight snow. High westerly/northwesterly winds associated with the next system with gusts up to 20-30 kts, expected to be stronger on Thursday.

LKN Watches/Warnings/Advisories

Winter Weather Advisory from 4 PM Wednesday to 7 PM PST Thursday NVZ031-034.

Wind Advisory from 10 AM to 7 PM PST Thursday NVZ035-037-040-041.