textproduct: Reno

KEY MESSAGES

* Shower and thunderstorm chances increase today across the Sierra and Sierra Front.

* Showers and thunderstorms continue this weekend with more persistent mountain snow for the Tahoe area and eastern Sierra Saturday night into Sunday.

* Showery weather is favored to continue into next week with drier conditions possible late next week.

DISCUSSION

A persistent western troughing pattern will deliver several days of showery weather beginning today and lasting into next week. Differential surface heating along the higher Sierra terrain should yield enough instability for shower and isolated thunderstorm development (15-30% chance) this afternoon across the eastern Sierra and Sierra Front. Impacts should be minimal, but be cautious of wet/slick roads in the mountains.

There is better potential for steady, more widespread rain and mountain snow Saturday into Sunday as two distinct areas of low pressure approach the region. The positioning of these lows favor Lassen and Washoe counties, and the Sierra south of US-50 for best shower chances of 40-80% with less than 30% elsewhere. Snow impacts may arise in Alpine and Mono County late Saturday into Sunday morning when there is a 30-60% chance of 1" of snow for communities along US-395 with similar odds of 6" or more along mountain ridges. Additional thunderstorms are also on the table Saturday afternoon, especially across Lassen and N Washoe counties (15-20% odds).

Sunday into next week offers additional shower and thunderstorm chances with minimal change to our governing weather pattern. Drier conditions may return towards the end of next week as guidance suggests high pressure developing across the western states.

-Salas

AVIATION

Widespread VFR conditions -- except KTRK where periods of FZFG/IFR continue through mid-morning -- prevail through the morning before rain and mountain snow showers with isolated lightning develop in the afternoon. KTRK and KTVL are most likely (10-30% chance) to be impacted with briefly reduced CIGS/VIS, mountain obscuration, and isolated lightning accompanying stronger showers and thunderstorms.

Shower odds and coverage both increase on Saturday, expanding degraded flight conditions into western Nevada.

-Salas

REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories

NV...None. CA...None.