


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Reno, NV
Issued by NWS Reno, NV
894 FXUS65 KREV 172036 AFDREV Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Reno NV 136 PM PDT Tue Jun 17 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... * Typical June temperatures and dry weather prevail, with moderate HeatRisk tomorrow and Thursday. * Another round of even stronger winds return Thursday and Friday with more fire weather, recreation and aviation concerns. * Continued cool, dry pattern will continue through at least the start of next week. && .DISCUSSION... Our region is currently under the influence of a toasty warm ridge that is centered over the Baja California, which places us under the periphery of the ridge. Some heating in the next few days to look forward to before a shift in the pattern. This pattern will eventually allow for us to feel effects from an incoming trough that is digging south from the Gulf of Alaska. This is a pattern more typical of spring months here, as the ridge is usually firmly in place over the Great Basin in mid-June. Instead, we will see increasing winds ahead of the front, showers along the Oregon border and cooler temperatures for all over the weekend. Next week a slow, steady climb back to seasonal temperatures will build for midweek. Let`s dig into the details of the upcoming forecast. * THROUGH THURSDAY: We will see summer-like heat again today, with clear skies and typical afternoon breezes. The heating trend builds to it`s peak tomorrow, bringing a 20% chance to climb to 99 at Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Areas near Fallon, Hawthorne and Silver Springs may climb to 100 degrees, with chances ranging 10-70%, higher near Hawthorne. West to southwest winds will begin to pick up Wednesday evening, with gusts 20-25 mph in the early evening. Thursday will remain warm, with increasing breezes and clouds indicating the incoming trough is approaching the region. Thursday, with the heating from previous days, lingering low relative humidities will continue to decline. This will bring about a Fire Weather Watch, starting Thursday. Wind gusts will approach 60 mph along Sierra peaks, while leeside valleys reach gusts of 45 mph. Along with gusty winds along ridges, we will see some choppy lake waters. Daytime relative humidities will be around 10% across western Nevada, while Sierra locations will be in the upper teens to mid- twenties. Leeside valleys will especially struggle with poor overnight recoveries. * FRIDAY INTO SUNDAY: Friday will be another windy, dry day. Although the trough influence will be keeping temperatures much lower(80s for western Nevada, 50-60s for Sierra valleys), the breezes coupled with the recent dry conditions will bring about another day under Fire Weather Watch. For details, see the Fire Weather section of the discussion below. Friday afternoon, we will start to see the front bringing showers in along the Oregon border, with a 20-30% chance for a light shower. Even with the clashing of two rather different airmasses, there is limited instability for thunder to be an issue, although we cannot rule out a 10% chance for a strike. Saturday, the moisture associated with this front will be prominent over NE California, but still dry over western Nevada valleys. For now, we are waiting to see how far the moisture will travel on Saturday, as this will modify the relative humidity profiles such that some areas may not need a Fire Weather Watch. Plan on areas over the Basin and Range to remain dry, albeit a much cooler day on tap than recent days. In fact, current ensemble guidance suggests that we may see upper 60 to low 70s over the western Nevada valleys and upper 40 to 50s for Sierra locations. Sunday, things begin to warm slightly as we climb back to summer-like heat early next week. * EARLY NEXT WEEK: Morning sunshine, afternoon Sierra clouds, slowly warming temperatures start to try to move back in, although a weak trough pattern may remain into midweek that could keep us on the cooler end of the summer temperature range for a couple more days. HRICH && .AVIATION... * Lighter winds today and Wednesday, generally variable in the morning; then west 5-10kts with gusts to 15-20kts each afternoon. Otherwise, VFR conditions prevail the next few days. * The next period of increased winds is Thursday-Friday. This will likely result in mountain wave turbulence and LLWS for the eastern Sierra and western NV. -McKellar/HRICH && .FIRE WEATHER... * The next period of fire weather concerns will begin Thursday into Saturday, with Friday showing the highest potential for strong wind gusts and low humidity. With widespread wind gusts 40 to 50 mph and ongoing dry conditions (RH in the single digits to low teens), there will be several hours of critical fire weather concerns for a large portion of western Nevada and the lower elevations of northeastern CA each afternoon and early evening. A Fire Weather Watch will be issued for Thursday through Friday, with Saturday still being analyzed for adding to the watch.- McKellar/HRICH && .REV Watches/Warnings/Advisories... NV...Fire Weather Watch from Thursday afternoon through Friday evening NVZ420-421-423-429-458. CA...Fire Weather Watch from Thursday afternoon through Friday evening CAZ274-278. && $$