textproduct: Reno

KEY MESSAGES

* Strong, potentially damaging, winds today and tonight will bring widespread impacts to fire weather, aviation, travel, and recreation.

* Cooler to start early next week with a gradual warming trend accompanied by dry conditions.

DISCUSSION

Overall, the forecast remains largely on track today. Current satellite imagery shows a low pressure cycling off the coast of the PacNW. This is bringing a tightened pressure gradient, which will in turn increase our winds today. Wind Advisories and Red Flag Warnings remain in effect until 2 AM Sunday. Wind speeds will gradually increase as the afternoon progresses, peaking between 7 and 11 PM tonight with gusts upwards of 45 mph areawide. Wind prone locations along US-395 may experience localized gusts of 55-65 mph. 700 hPa wind speeds range from 40-55 kts, which translates to gusts upwards of 80 mph along ridgetops. With winds of these magnitudes, expect impacts to travel, fire weather, aviation, and recreation through early tomorrow morning. Make sure to bring in any loose outdoor objects, stay up to date on travel and flight information, and if you're driving along typically windy roadways, make sure to keep both hands on the wheel.

Winds will continue to remain elevated through early Sunday morning, with gusts near 20 mph around sunrise (locally higher along ridgetops, over 50 mph). However, winds will be primarily northwesterly early tomorrow morning, a change from our typical west/southwest winds. By Sunday afternoon, our winds will return to normal zephyr breezes of 15-20 mph.

An element to note with the winds today is that smoke from the Lucas fire in California may infiltrate Lassen and northern Washoe counties due to southwesterly flow aloft. However, smoke density is largely dependent on fire activity. For air quality concerns, please visit fire.airnow.gov.

Cool, calm, and collected weather seems to be the name of the game Monday and beyond. A warming trend initiates Tuesday, which will bring afternoon highs up to near normal (low 80s valleys and mid 70s Sierra). Dry conditions prevail next week with wind gusts under 20 mph each afternoon.

-Giralte

AVIATION

VFR conditions for all terminals today and tomorrow, however the main concern will regard the winds today. Afternoon wind gusts peak after 02Z today, ranging from 30-40 kts for all Sierra and Sierra Front terminals. FL100 winds will reach near 60-70 kts, producing widespread LLWS from 02Z through at least 10Z. Mostly southwesterly winds today, but the dry cold frontal passage around 12Z will shift winds to the northwest for Sierra Front sites.

By Sunday afternoon, wind gusts will calm to typical 20-25 kt gusts and return to being out of the west/southwest.

-Giralte

FIRE WEATHER

Critical fire weather conditions today due to strong widespread west/southwesterly wind gusts of 45+ mph. These will overlap with minimum humidities of 10-20% nearly areawide; locally lower humidity levels (single digits) for the Lahontan/Humboldt basins, as well as the Chalfant valley in Mono county. Red Flag Warnings remain in effect through 2 AM Sunday.

While dry conditions continue through the remainder of the next week, winds will drop back to our typical gusts of 15-20 mph, helping reduce the risk for critical fire weather. However, brief periods of elevated fire weather conditions are likely each afternoon with any localized stronger gusts.

-Giralte

REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories

NV...Red Flag Warning until 2 AM PDT Sunday NVZ458.

Wind Advisory until 2 AM PDT Sunday NVZ002>005.

Red Flag Warning until 2 AM PDT Sunday NVZ420-421.

Red Flag Warning until 2 AM PDT Sunday NVZ423-429.

CA...Red Flag Warning until 2 AM PDT Sunday CAZ270-278.

Wind Advisory until 2 AM PDT Sunday CAZ070>073.

Red Flag Warning until 2 AM PDT Sunday CAZ274.