Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Las Vegas, NV
Issued by NWS Las Vegas, NV
021 FXUS65 KVEF 060912 AFDVEF Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 212 AM PDT Mon May 6 2024 .SYNOPSIS...Warming temperatures and afternoon breezes are on tap for today and tomorrow. A shortwave trough will move through the region on Wednesday, knocking temperatures down a few degrees and ushering in another round of gusty northerly winds. Temperatures will rebound a few degrees on Thursday with additional warming as we head into the weekend thanks to a ridge building over the region. && .SHORT TERM...Today and Tomorrow. The trough responsible for this past weekend`s winds will clear out of the Western US and eject into the Central Plains. As this trough ejects into the Central Plains we will find ourselves under dry northwesterly flow aloft. As a result, we will see temperatures rebound from Sunday`s unseasonably cool temperatures with normal temperatures returning to the region on Tuesday. 15 to 25 mph wind gusts are expected for much of the region this afternoon, with locally higher wind gusts in the Eastern Sierra and higher terrain of the Southern Great Basin. On Tuesday, the southern Great Basin, far Western Mojave Desert, Arizona Strip, and Eastern Sierra will see 25 to 35 mph westerly to northwesterly wind gusts as a shortwave begins to approach the region. These winds will advance south, impacting the rest of our forecast area on Tuesday night and Wednesday. .LONG TERM...Wednesday through next Monday. Gusty winds return to the area by Wednesday as a shortwave trough circulates around an upper level low over the Northern Plains. The response at the surface includes increased northerly winds for much of the area, particularly in the Colorado River Valley. The NBM gives the area between Laughlin and Needles a greater than 90 percent chance of experiencing gusts of at least 40 mph, and other areas around the CRV a 70 to 90 percent chance of reaching 40 mph. A small area around Laughlin has a greater than 50 percent chance of seeing gusts over 57 mph for a short time on Wednesday morning. Will continue to watch these trends to determine the need for headline issuance. Highs on Wednesday decrease 5 to 10 degrees from Tuesday due to cold air advection with the northerly flow. Low pressure should stay over the forecast area, preventing much of an increase in temperatures during the latter half of the week. Moisture remains near normal for this time of year and most of the forecast area remains dry. Heights rise and temperatures increase as an upper level ridge starts to build off the Pacific Coast over the weekend into early next week. Above normal temperatures return at this time, which for Las Vegas means highs in the low to mid 90s early next week. && .AVIATION...For Harry Reid...Light and variable winds this morning will come around to the southeast by mid-afternoon and then turn back to the southwest before sunset. Speeds are expected to remain less than 10kts through tonight, although there is around a 60% chance of seeing occasional gusts to 15kts once the winds come around to the southwest this evening. Light and variable to northeast winds are expected once again by Tuesday morning. VFR conditions will prevail through the TAF period with only FEW clouds AOA 20kft AGL expected. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...Las Vegas area TAF site will follow similar trends to KLAS, with only KHND seeing winds above 10kts during the forecast period. KBIH will have light winds this morning, followed by southerly winds less than 10kts this afternoon. Winds are expected to turn more westerly by late afternoon, with occasional gusts to 25kts developing by evening. Light northerly winds are expected by late evening, continuing into Tuesday morning. KDAG will see westerly winds through the TAF period, with gusty winds to 30kts developing by late evening. TAF sites in the CRV will follow typical diurnal trends, with northerly winds this morning turning to the south and southeast in the afternoon and evening. VFR conditions will prevail at all sites through the TAF period, with only FEW-SCT clouds AOA 20kft AGL expected. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && $$ SHORT TERM...Stessman LONG TERM...Meltzer AVIATION...Planz For more forecast information...see us on our webpage: https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter