textproduct: Reno

KEY MESSAGES

* Gusty winds and light showers will accompany a cold frontal passage today into Thursday.

* Sub-freezing temperatures will pose impacts to agriculture and irrigation Thursday night into Friday morning.

* Unsettled weather returns Sunday into early next week with renewed chances of gusty winds and showers.

DISCUSSION

A compact upper low and attendant cold frontal passage will promote gusty winds and light showers during the remainder of today into Thursday morning. Winds will be strongest from Lassen County into far NW Nevada where SW/W gusts of 40-50 mph will be common this afternoon and evening. Elsewhere, winds will be comparatively weaker but still in the 30-40 mph range.

Rain and snow shower chances increase upon the arrival of the surface cold front tonight into early Thursday morning with best odds of 50-80% near the Oregon border and across northern Pershing County. Any rain or snow will lean on the lighter side, but roads may become slick in areas across far N Washoe County and E Pershing County where there is a low (10-20%) chance of 1" of snowfall by Thursday morning. Showers should taper around or a little after sunrise Thursday once the cold front has departed.

Post-frontal temperatures will be noticeably cooler for Thursday afternoon as daytime highs shed 10-15 degrees from today. More notably, further cooling and clearing skies will result in a very cold Friday morning as temperatures fall into the teens and twenties. Be sure to bundle up and stay warm if heading outdoors Friday AM, and protect vegetation that benefited from the historically warm March. Our weather pattern remains progressive as another upper low renews the prospect of gusty winds and showers from Sunday through the middle of next week. Confidence is low on the finer detail given that these springtime lows tend to be tricky to forecast.

-Salas

AVIATION

LLWS and mountain wave turbulence will remain at the forefront of weather concerns today amid increased winds aloft and at the surface. SW/W surface gusts of 20-30 kts beneath FL100 winds of 40- 50 kts will maintain LLWS and mountain wave turbulence impacts into the evening However, greatest impacts should occur between 06Z and 12Z when surface winds weaken but FL100 winds hold steady -- if not increase a bit. This is also the timeframe when a cold front moves through Sierra and Sierra terminals, compounding any LLWS impacts.

A band of low clouds and perhaps a few light showers (10-30% chance) are possible (10-30% chance) will increase the potential for mountain obscuration and reduced CIGS/VIS across Tahoe and SIerra Front terminals tonight into early Thursday.

-Salas

REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories

NV...Wind Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening NVZ005.

Freeze Watch from Thursday evening through Friday morning NVZ001- 003>005.

Lake Wind Advisory until 7 AM PDT Thursday NVZ002.

Wind Advisory until 7 AM PDT Thursday NVZ004.

CA...Wind Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening CAZ070.

Freeze Watch from Thursday evening through Friday morning CAZ070- 071.

Lake Wind Advisory until 7 AM PDT Thursday CAZ072.