Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Las Vegas, NV

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745 FXUS65 KVEF 170452 AFDVEF Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Las Vegas NV 952 PM PDT Sun Jun 16 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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A shifting weather pattern will bring a cooling trend to the area through the middle of the week in addition to breezy winds. Temperatures are forecast to increase late in the week as high pressure builds over the region with very hot conditions expected over the weekend. Increasing confidence for the reintroduction of major heat impacts by next weekend for many valley locations.
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&& .UPDATE...
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The Red Flag Warning in effect for Mohave County today has been allowed to expire on time at 8pm PDT. Southwest winds have decreased across the region, but isolated gusts between 20 and 25 mph are still possible through the early part of the overnight hours. Winds will return tomorrow late-morning. These winds coupled with very dry conditions will return the Red Flag Warning for Mohave County from 11am - 8pm tomorrow. There will be additional consideration to include parts of the southwestern Great Basin in this warning, but will likely wait until the morning to make any formal decision to coordinate with fire weather partners. Temperatures will cool off somewhat tomorrow for the start of the work week with temperatures hovering within a couple of degrees of seasonal averages. No changes made to the forecast this evening as it looks to be in good shape.
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&& .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
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1250 PM PDT Sun Jun 16 2024/ .SHORT TERM...Tonight through Monday night. Broad upper level troughing will remain over the region tonight through Monday night. This will result in dry conditions, breezy winds, and cooler temperatures compared to what we have been experiencing recently. A reinforcing piece of energy will dig south through the mean cyclonic flow Monday afternoon and overnight which will bring increasing winds to the region. Monday afternoon winds should be generally uneventful as probabilities for impactful wind gusts over 40 MPH remain low. There are scattered pockets of high probabilities (80% or higher) Monday evening overnight as the shortwave swings through central Nevada. West winds around Barstow, CA into Yucca Valley should increase in response to the increasing gradient and enhancement flow through the terrain. Higher probabilities (over 70%) for wind gusts over 40 MPH through this area mainly highlight the terrain then briefly the Twentynine Palms area after 8 PM, however winds should be short lived by that time and thus impacts will be limited. Brief periods of difficult driving conditions and patchy blowing dust will be possible on portions of the I-40 as well as around Yucca Valley Monday evening into the early overnight. Further north, a cold front will sweep through the area Monday night, reaching at least the Colorado River Valley by Tuesday early morning, which will bring increased north winds. Again, seeing pockets of higher probabilities for wind gusts over 40 MPH through southern Nevada and parts of Death Valley; however, the higher probabilities are only for an hour or two. Synoptically, low level wind profiles and the overall strength of the incoming wave would suggest winds should not overachieve or be overly strong. Winds may jump up to 40 MPH as the front passes through the area, but should not last more than a hour or two and thus wind impacts will be limited. Outside of winds, the only other weather to note will be cooler temperatures. High temperatures Monday afternoon will remain near or slightly below normal, but will be comparatively cooler than the heat we have been experiencing recently. Moderate HeatRisk will be limited to Death Valley and the lower Colorado River Valley on Monday. .LONG TERM...Tuesday through Saturday. Tuesday will be the "coolest" day of the week with afternoon high temperatures topping out 3 to 5 degrees below normal for mid-June. Troughiness will linger across the Western US through the end of the work week as the upper-level trough that brought us our brief reprieve from the heat weakens. These rising 500 mb heights will allow for temperatures to quickly recover back up to 5 to 10 degrees hotter than normal by the end of the week. By Friday, widespread Moderate HeatRisk will have returned to southeastern California, northwestern Arizona, and southern Nevada. Major HeatRisk will return to the Las Vegas Valley, Death Valley, and the Amargosa Valley on Saturday as temperatures continue to climb.
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&& .AVIATION...
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For Harry Reid...Breezy south to southwest winds with occasional gusts to 25 knots will continue into tonight. Winds should diminish to around 10 knots before sunrise, and a period of light and variable winds is expected tomorrow morning before gusty southwest winds return. A weak front is expected to move across the region tomorrow evening after 03Z, bringing gusty northwest-to-north winds to the valley. Skies will be mostly clear through Monday afternoon, although some light haze or smoke from the Post Fire north of Las Angeles may reduce slantwise visibilities at times. For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast California...South to southwest winds with occasional gusts of 20 to 30 knots will continue at most regional TAF sites into this evening, and then again on Monday. Further north in the Owens Valley, including KBIH, winds will favor a more north-to-northwest direction with occasional gusts this afternoon and Monday. All areas, except KDAG, should see winds fall below 15 knots overnight. Skies will be mostly clear through Monday afternoon, although some haze or smoke from the Post Fire north of Las Angeles may reduce slantwise visibilities at times, especially across the western Mojave Desert and lower Colorado River Valley.
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&& .FIRE WEATHER...
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Very dry conditions are expected through the week Monday with minimum relative humidity dropping below 10% this afternoon and again Monday afternoon. For Arizona fire zones 101 and 102, poor RH recovery is expected tonight with some improvement Monday night. A Red Flag Warning is in effect for AZZ101-102 today and Monday due to very dry conditions and increased winds resulting in high fire start and spread risk. Widespread wind gusts may struggle to reach or exceed gust thresholds but sustained winds will likely exceed 20 mph both days. Elsewhere, it will be dry but winds will struggle to jump to impactful levels for an extended period of time and fuels through out much of the area remain marginal. NVZ460 could reach Red Flag Warning criteria Monday evening and early overnight; however, it is uncertain if fuels are sufficient for considerable wild fire risk.
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&& .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating procedures. && $$ UPDATE...Soulat SHORT TERM/FIRE WEATHER...Nickerson LONG TERM...Stessman AVIATION...Planz For more forecast information...see us on our webpage: https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter