textproduct: Reno

KEY MESSAGES

* A secondary, stronger cold front arrives today bringing gusty northerly winds, even colder temperatures and valley rain and foothill/mountain snow showers mid to late afternoon.

* Freezing to near freezing temperatures Monday morning give way to warmer and drier conditions for much of next week.

DISCUSSION

Get ready for sweaters, pants, jackets and windbreakers today as the second of two weekend fronts swings in today. Additional cooling of around 10-15 degrees will be widespread today, which will lead to a rather chilly late Sunday into Monday morning. Lows may fall below freezing for many western Nevada valleys, and certainly below freezing for Sierra valleys. Precautions for protecting sensitive plants should be taken this afternoon or evening at the latest. While the Reno-Carson-Minden area will be flirting with freezing, there is around a 30% chance to reach those temperatures.

Winds will increase out of the northeast today, picking up gusts that could reach up to 55 mph, especially near Mono and Mineral counties. Hazardous travel including bumpy flights and blowing dust as well as crosswinds, and recreation impacts such as choppy lake waters have prompted various Lake Wind Advisories and Wind Advisories across the region.

As this front sags south across western Nevada, rain and snow showers above 5000 feet will start to increase in coverage late morning. Amounts should remain light as this is a progressive, fast- moving system. Wetting rains are most possible over the Basin and Range, from east of Lovelock toward Winnemucca (40-90% chances). To the west, from Fernley to Lovelock, chances drop to a range of 20- 40%. There is a bit of frontal interaction that develops showers early afternoon for the east side of the Tahoe Basin to the Pine Nut Mountains, but here again snow amounts will be light to nuisance in nature. Even so, the chance to see snowflakes in the air is best south of US-50 and west of US-95 (30-40%) above 5000 feet. Then, as the front drags into Mineral and Mono counties, the shower chances progress south along the Sierra. By 10-11 PM the bulk of the shower activity has moved toward eastern Nevada and western Utah and out of our region.

A chilly start to Monday as mentioned will help to keep temperatures below average through the evening. Temperatures will rebound in earnest by mid week, bringing some 80s back onto our maps.

Previous discussions have mentioned the potential for showers to develop next weekend, by we have yet to nail down details for timing, amounts and locations. If we continue to see this pattern in future shifts, confidence will increase and we will begin to draw out some detail for your weekend planning. HRICH

AVIATION

* Northeasterly surface winds will increase today, with gusts to 50 kts possible near KHTH. Expect turbulence and LLWS to develop after 00z Monday. Blowing dust may be possible for KLOL, KNFL, KHTH today.

* Rain shower chances will be highest (25-50%) east of KLOL-KNFL and also at KMMH with snow chances above 5000 feet possible this morning and afternoon. Edan/HRICH

REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories

NV...Lake Wind Advisory from 5 PM this afternoon to 5 AM PDT Monday NVZ002.

Wind Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 11 PM PDT this evening NVZ001.

Lake Wind Advisory until 11 AM PDT this morning NVZ001.

Lake Wind Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 11 PM PDT this evening NVZ003.

Lake Wind Advisory until 5 PM PDT this afternoon NVZ004.

CA...Lake Wind Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening CAZ071.

Lake Wind Advisory from 5 PM this afternoon to 5 AM PDT Monday CAZ072.

Wind Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 11 PM PDT this evening CAZ073.