286
FXUS65 KLKN 110949
AFDLKN

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Elko NV
249 AM PDT Tue Mar 11 2025

.SYNOPSIS...Quiet conditions will persist through early Wednesday
under high pressure. A low pressure system and cold front will
bring windy conditions and snow accumulations across Nevada from
Wednesday evening through Thursday night. Another system will move
through Friday into the weekend, bringing a chance of light
precipitation across the area. An active weather pattern will
persist through early next week.

&&

.SHORT TERM...Today through Wednesday night

Current satellite imagery indicates mid to high clouds streaming
ahead of a low pressure system moving across Southern California,
while a weak ridge of high pressure is situated over the western
U.S. Afternoon highs will range from the upper 50s to lower 60s
today, with lows tonight in the upper 20s and lower 30s.

As the ridge shifts east, moisture ahead of a deepening trough
and strong cold front approaching the Pacific Northwest will bring
light valley rain and mountain snow Wednesday afternoon and
evening. Snow levels around 7,000 feet will lower to valley floors
through the evening and overnight hours, with moderate to heavy
snowfall expected across much of Nevada as the cold front moves
through. Multiple winter headlines remain in effect for areas
above 6,000 feet, including the Ruby Mountains/E Humboldt Range.

Ahead of the cold front, southerly winds of 25 to 35 mph will
create breezy conditions, with gusts of 40 to 55 mph, strongest
across mountain peaks and higher summits. A Wind Advisory remains
in effect for White Pine, Southern Lander and Southern Eureka, and
Nye Counties. Afternoon highs will range from the upper 40s to
lower 50s, with overnight lows in the upper 20s and lower 30s.

&&

.LONG TERM...Thursday through next Tuesday

Thursday looks to a wet and snowy day as a strong upper level
system will be moving through the state. A cold front will be
located along NE to SW axis just north of Elko, Carlin, and Austin
by dawn Thursday morning. This front will drive SE into Eureka
and Tonopah by mid morning, and Ely by the early afternoon. Strong
dynamic lift will accompany this front as it passes that will act
to quickly change rain to snow as temperatures plummet due to
cold air mixing down and wet-bulbing from precipitation which will
be heavy along the front. This heavy frontal band will last for a
few hours, after which precipitation intensity will lessen during
the evening hours as the upper level low begins to exit into
Utah. Showers will become more scattered to isolated from west to
east during the overnight hours with precipitation ending by
Friday morning. Overall precipitation amounts haven changed much
with the valleys seeing up to 2 of snow included in a 0.10 to
0.40 of water. The passes and road summits will see more snow
than rain as N NV passes could see between 2 and 6 of snow (or
about 0.20 to 0.6 of water), the US-50 corridor in central NV
could see up to 3 to 8 of snowfall, finally the mountain ranges
like the Rubies will see up to 6 to 18 of new snowfall. After
Friday models suggest that the overall pattern becomes very active
with a large long wave trough over the NW US set up to deliver a
series of quick moving shortwave troughs that will bring near
daily chances of precipitation starting late Friday evening to
early Saturday morning lasting through Tuesday of next week. While
each shortwave wont have large impacts by themselves, the
summation of these events will bring more needed precipitation to
Nevada. Precipitation chances look to have maxi-ma of around 65%
to 85%, Saturday afternoon, Sunday evening, and Monday afternoon
into Tuesday morning this coincides with each shortwave passing in
the westerly flow. Precipitation chances dropping to around 15%
to 20% for times in between, but due to the speed and moisture
content of the flow aloft, at least isolated showers will be
possible for the end of the week into the weekend and beyond.
Temperatures Thursday and Friday depend on precipitation intensity
as wet-bulbing cools highs into the upper 20s to low 40s, with
overnight lows in the mid teens to low 30s. The weekend and the
start of next week will see little recovery with the active
pattern, as highs range in the mid 30s to mid 40s and lows in the
teens to mid 20s.

&&

.AVIATION...VFR conditions continue today and tonight at all
terminals. Southerly winds with gusts of 20-25kts this afternoon
at KELY and KTPH. Winds at KWMC KBAM and KEKO will remain below 10
knots. Much stronger winds on Wednesday, with rain showers
developing at most terminals by Wednesday evening.

KWMC remains AMD NOT SKED due to a communications issue with the
ASOS.

&&

.LKN Watches/Warnings/Advisories...

Winter Weather Advisory from 11 PM Wednesday to 5 PM PDT
Thursday Northern Elko...Southern Lander and Southern Eureka.

Winter Storm Watch from Wednesday evening through Thursday
afternoon Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range in Elko.

Wind Advisory from 11 AM to 11 PM PDT Wednesday Northeastern
Nye...Northwestern Nye...Southern Lander and Southern Eureka...
White Pine.

Winter Weather Advisory from 11 PM Wednesday to 11 PM PDT
Thursday Northwestern Nye...White Pine.

&&

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