236
FXUS65 KVEF 101105
AFDVEF

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Las Vegas NV
405 AM PDT Fri Apr 10 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

* Gusty southwesterly winds will continue across the Mojave
  Desert today, becoming more widespread over the weekend.

* Precipitation chances will increase across the region over the
  weekend, with chances lingering into early next week for
  portions of the area.

&&

.DISCUSSION...through Thursday.

The cooling trend of the past few days will continue into early next
week, with cooler than normal temperatures returning to the region
over the weekend. The pattern change responsible for this cool down
is also responsible for today`s gusty southerly-to-southwesterly
winds across the Mojave Desert through Death Valley and into the
southern Great Basin, as well as the Owens Valley. Speaking of
the Owens Valley, westerly downslope winds will be possible across
Highway 395 in the southern Owens Valley later this afternoon
through early evening. This will make for hazardous driving
conditions for high profile vehicles. A Wind Advisory has been
issued for the western Mojave Desert, Morongo Basin, southwestern
Great Basin, and Owens Valley from noon today through 11:00 pm
this evening. Another area of concern when it comes to today`s
winds is the Colorado River Valley, where strong southerly winds
will result in 1 to 3 foot waves on Lake Mohave with 1 to 2 foot
waves on Lake Mead. As such, a Lake Wind Advisory has been issued
for the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (including Lake
Mohave) for this afternoon and evening. Winds will remain
elevated in the higher terrain on Saturday, but lower elevations
and valleys will see a relative decrease on Saturday before winds
ramp back up on Sunday.

Increased precipitation chances will also accompany this pattern
shift. Showers today and tomorrow will largely be limited to the
Eastern Sierra, where a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for
elevations above 8,000 feet from tonight through Sunday evening.
3 to 7 inches of new snow will be possible between 8,000 and 9,500
feet, with locally higher totals above 9,500 feet near the
ridgeline. The rest of southeastern California, southern Nevada,
and northwestern Arizona will have to wait until the low pressure
system begins to move through the area on Sunday for their shot at
seeing precipitation. Overall, precipitation will largely favor
areas of higher terrain with the rain shadow effect limiting
precipitation in lower elevations downstream. As this low
pressure system moves through the region, instability will
increase, bringing chances for isolated thunderstorm activity to
portions of the region. For most of the area outside of the
Eastern Sierra, precipitation is expected to fall as rain.
However, light snow accumulations will be possible across the
mountains and higher terrain of the southern Great Basin as well
as the Spring Mountains; these accumulations are not expected to
be enough to cause any noteworthy impacts. Precipitation chances
will linger into early next week as the low pressure system exits
the region. Behind this low, high pressure will gradually rebuild
with a warming and drying trend expected. &&

.AVIATION...For Harry Reid...For the 12Z Forecast Package...Breezy
south-southwest winds continue throughout the TAF period. Intensity
will fluctuate slightly between the daytime and nighttime hours, but
chances of 10+ knots are at least 70% every hour. Gusts generally 18-
30 knots. Abundant high clouds this morning, becoming few to
scattered later today.

For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast
California...For the 12Z Forecast Package...Gusty southerly to
westerly winds anticipated across the region today with widespread
gusts of 20-30 knots. Winds should weaken slightly after sunset, but
are likely to remain elevated overnight. Abundant high clouds across
the eastern half of the area this morning, becoming few to scattered
later today. Dry conditions likely to persist as most of the
precipitation gets hung up on the Sierra crest, but there is a ~10%
of some sprinkles or light rain spilling over into the Owens Valley
this afternoon. There is also a 10-20% chance of showers in far
northeastern Mohave County.

&&

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report
any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating
procedures.

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...Stessman
AVIATION...Woods

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NWS Las Vegas (VEF) Office