textproduct: Reno

KEY MESSAGES

* Dry and mild weather today with breezy conditions and rough conditions on Lake Tahoe tonight.

* A storm brings strong winds Friday, then valley rain, and heavy, wet Sierra snow Friday afternoon into Saturday morning.

* A colder but weaker storm brings mountain snow Monday. Another storm may follow Wednesday into Thursday.

DISCUSSION

One last day of mild weather before a storm system brings wind and precip impacts areawide. Winds will increase tonight, bringing choppy waters on Lake Tahoe. Expect these winds to stay elevated through the early morning hours, before increasing Friday afternoon.

Wind gusts in excess of 45 mph Friday will bring impacts to travel and recreation ahead of the wave of precipitation. Expect difficult travel for high profile vehicles, especially along wind prone locations of US-395/I-580, as localized gusts may exceed 65 mph at times. Blowing dust in the Basin and Range may reduce visibilities along US-50 and I-80; remember, pull aside, stay alive! For anyone traveling by air, expect bumpy flights in and out of the Reno Intl' Airport.

Light rain and snow showers are moving in a bit earlier than last night's forecast, more-so around noon Friday. However, our heaviest wave of precip, bringing mountain snow above 7000 ft, arrives by Friday afternoon. Snow levels have dropped a bit, starting out around 7000/8000 ft for Tahoe/Mono before quickly crashing below 6000/7000 ft by midnight. The heaviest snowfall rates will be late Friday night into early Saturday morning, exceeding 2+"/hr at times as the system progresses north to south. The previous Winter Storm Watch has been upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning. For more details on snowfall totals, please visit www.weather.gov/rev/winter. This system is expected to wrap up by daybreak Saturday, however lingering travel and road impacts will be likely through the late morning hours. If you're planning to travel around the Sierra, consider postponing until the bulk of the system has passed. CalTrans QuickMap and NVRoads will have the latest information on road closures and chain controls.

Foothill communities along the Sierra Front, including Virginia City, may see light snowfall accumulations by Saturday morning. For locations below 6000 ft, expect rainfall accumulations up to 0.25" (a significant decrease since the previous forecast run). Locations in NE CA will see locally higher amounts, up to 0.5-0.75" of rainfall by Saturday afternoon.

Saturday afternoon through much of Sunday will be dry. A second system impacts the area late Sunday night, though this system has been trending weaker. However, snow levels are lower (around 6500-7000 ft Tahoe Basin, 7000-7500 ft Mono). Snowfall totals currently max out at 5" along the crests, with less than 0.5" of SWE. Slushy Sierra roadways will likely bring delays to the Monday morning commute; consider setting alarms a bit earlier.

A third system looks to arrive by Wednesday afternoon, continuing through at least Thursday. With this low pressure having originated from off the coast of Alaska, snow levels are even lower (near valley floors). This doesn't mean we'll see snow down in Reno just yet, but we're keeping our eye on this system and how it evolves.

-Giralte

AVIATION

* KRNO: VFR conditions through Thursday, with valley inversions reducing slantwise visibilities during the morning hours. On Friday, S-SW wind gusts of 30-40 kts are likely from 18Z-03Z, with turbulence and LLWS. Winds remain elevated through 08Z Sat, with S-SW gusts of 20-30 kts. Rain showers 00Z-09Z Sat may bring brief MVFR conditions.

* Elsewhere: Ridgetop winds increase Thursday night, with chances for LLWS at KTRK, KTVL, and KMMH after 02Z Fri. On Friday, gusts of 30-40 kts are likely at KCXP and KMEV, and 40-50 kts at KMMH. Sierra ridge gusts of 60-80 kts will bring mountain waves and turbulence over and east of the Sierra.

* For Friday afternoon into Saturday morning, expect areas of MVFR/IFR in rain and snow, with widespread mountain obscurations. Snow becomes dominant at KTRK and KTVL after 03-06Z Sat, with IFR/LIFR conditions and runway accumulations likely. Conditions improve by Saturday afternoon. Another round of mountain snow with MVFR/IFR at KTRK, KTVL, and KMMH is possible late Sunday into Monday.

-Johnston/McKellar

REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories

NV...High Wind Watch from Friday morning through Friday evening NVZ005.

Wind Advisory from 10 AM to 10 PM PST Friday NVZ001-003-004.

Lake Wind Advisory from 10 PM this evening to 10 AM PST Friday NVZ002.

Winter Storm Warning from 10 AM Friday to 10 AM PST Saturday NVZ002.

CA...High Wind Watch from Friday morning through Friday evening CAZ070.

Wind Advisory from 10 AM to 10 PM PST Friday CAZ071.

Lake Wind Advisory from 10 PM this evening to 10 AM PST Friday CAZ072.

Winter Storm Warning from 10 AM Friday to 10 AM PST Saturday CAZ072.

Winter Storm Warning from 1 PM Friday to 10 AM PST Saturday CAZ073.