Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Las Vegas, NV
Issued by NWS Las Vegas, NV
878 FXUS65 KVEF 200859 AFDVEF Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 159 AM PDT Mon May 20 2024 .SYNOPSIS...An upper level trough moving across our region will bring slightly below normal temperatures and continued gusty southwest winds today followed by moderate north winds tonight and Tuesday. Isolated showers and thunderstorms will occur today in southeast Nevada and the Arizona Strip near the Utah border. A mean trough will hold over the western states this week into the holiday weekend resulting in near normal temperatures with elevated afternoon winds each day. && .SHORT TERM...today through Tuesday. Persistent southwest winds gusting between 20 and 30 mph will be the most noticeable effect of the trough digging over the western states accompanied by high temperatures pulling back about4-6 degrees from Sunday. A weak cold front will push through our region tonight and Tuesday with north winds generally gusting 20 to 25 mph and temperatures dropping an additional 2-4 degrees. Limited mid level moisture in a convergence zone across south central Nevada will slide across Lincoln, northeast Clark and Mohave counties this morning through the afternoon ahead of the approaching front which will lead to isolated showers and thunderstorms confined to these zones. Rainfall amounts should generally be less than a tenth of an inch and the main hazard aside from lightning will be the potential for convective wind gusts and the latest HREF indicates a 30-50 percent probability of gusts greater than 35 mph in our zones near the border with Southwest Utah. Will be worth watching, but the probability of any significant weather impacts is too low to warrant any headlines. .LONG TERM...Wednesday through Sunday. A shortwave trough will drop into the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West on Wednesday. As this shortwave clears out on Thursday we will see lingering longwave troughiness across the southwestern US through the end of the week. As a result, temperatures will remain in the normal to slightly cooler than normal range through the end of the week. 20 to 30 mph wind gusts are expected each afternoon through the end of the week with the strongest of these winds favoring the western Mojave Desert and areas of higher terrain. Despite lingering troughiness overhead, precipitation chances will be limited to none. Another system will drop into the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West over the weekend, which will allow for the continued persistence of slightly cooler than normal temperatures and breezy afternoon winds through the weekend. && .AVIATION...For Harry Reid...After a brief period of light southeast winds in the late morning and early afternoon, south to southwest winds with gusts 20 to 25 knots are expected this afternoon. Winds will continue to gradually subside tonight but gusty southwest winds will return around midday. Turbulence can be expected near the mountainous terrain. No operationally significant clouds or weather expected. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...Winds will continue to diminish this morning with the expectation in the Barstow area where southwest-west gusts from 30- 35kts will continue. Gusty west to southwest winds will develop again over most of the Mojave Desert today, with northwest to north winds expected across the southern Great Basin. The strongest afternoon gusts of 30-35 knots are expected from Barstow through Searchlight to Colorado City. There will be a very small chance for showers and thunderstorms this afternoon in areas from the Sierra crest eastward to the panhandle of Lincoln County, but much less coverage is expected today than what occurred Saturday afternoon. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && $$ SHORT TERM...Adair LONG TERM...Stessman AVIATION...Salmen For more forecast information...see us on our webpage: https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter