723
FXUS65 KREV 170917
AFDREV
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
117 AM PST TUE FEB 17 2026
KEY MESSAGES
* THE MOST IMPACTFUL PART OF THE WINTER STORM ARRIVES THIS MORNING
AND CONTINUES THROUGH TONIGHT, WITH TRAVEL HIGHLY DISCOURAGED IN
THE SIERRA AS PERIODS OF WHITEOUT CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY.
* SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS MOVE INTO WESTERN NV VALLEYS BY MID MORNING
AND PEAK THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING, PRODUCING SEVERAL INCHES OF
SNOWFALL WITH HAZARDOUS TRAVEL FOR THE EVENING COMMUTE.
* COLD CONDITIONS AND SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL KEEP ROADS SLICK
THROUGH THE WEDNESDAY MORNING COMMUTE, WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF
SNOW LOOKING MORE LIKELY BY THURSDAY.
DISCUSSION
BANDS OF SNOW SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONT PASSAGE
CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS THE SIERRA AND INTO WESTERN NV. MOST OF
THIS ACTIVITY WILL WIND DOWN THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING, ALTHOUGH
GUSTY WINDS AND TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING WILL KEEP PATCHY SLICK
ROAD CONDITIONS IN ANY AREA THAT ALREADY RECEIVED SNOW FROM THIS
STORM.
THIS BREAK IN THE STORM ACTIVITY WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS THE MAIN
PORTION OF THE STORM DROPS IN FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. SNOW
WILL PICK UP IN INTENSITY AROUND DAYBREAK FROM TAHOE NORTHWARD TO
THE OREGON BORDER, AND INCREASE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE
MORNING ACROSS FAR WESTERN NV SOUTHWARD TO MONO COUNTY. FOR WEST
CENTRAL NV, AN INITIAL RAIN/SNOW MIX THIS AFTERNOON WILL CHANGE
TO ALL SNOW BY LATE AFTERNOON.
IN GENERAL, THE WORST OVERALL SNOW CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED BETWEEN
8 AM AND 10 PM TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING, EXCEPT LINGERING UNTIL
SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT FOR AREAS SOUTH OF US-50. EXPECT POOR
VISIBILITY WITH FALLING, BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW INCLUDING
PERIODS OF WHITEOUT CONDITIONS ESPECIALLY FOR THE SIERRA.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
* CHECK THE ROADS BEFORE YOU GO! CALL 5 1 1 OR CHECK CALTRANS
QUICKMAP (QUICKMAP.DOT.CA.GOV) OR NDOT (NVROADS.COM).
* AVOID TRAVEL IN THE SIERRA AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TODAY AND
TONIGHT. IF YOU MUST TRAVEL, KEEP A WINTER KIT IN YOUR VEHICLE,
HAVE A FULL TANK OF FUEL OR FULLY CHARGED EV, EXPECT CHAIN
CONTROLS, LONG DELAYS AND AN INCREASED RISK OF ROAD CLOSURES.
* NEVER ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL ON MORE REMOTE ROADS THROUGH THE SIERRA
EVEN IF SUGGESTED BY NAVIGATION TOOLS--IF THE PRIMARY HIGHWAYS
ARE ALREADY IN BAD SHAPE, THESE LESSER TRAVELED ROADS WILL BE
FAR WORSE, LEADING TO A MORE LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION.
* FOR THE NEXT FEW MORNING COMMUTES IN URBAN AREAS, SET THE ALARM
EARLIER AND GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF EXTRA TRAVEL TIME.
* KEEP AN EYE ON THE DETAILED FORECAST AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/RENO
WHERE YOU CAN READ ALL THE LATEST WINTER STORM PRODUCTS, WHICH
INCLUDE THE EXPECTED SNOWFALL TOTALS AND PEAK WIND GUSTS. IN
AREAS WHERE ENHANCED SNOW BANDS PERSIST, SNOW TOTALS WOULD BE
LOCALLY HIGHER.
BY WEDNESDAY, RESIDUAL SNOW SHOWERS LINGER MAINLY IN THE SIERRA,
BUT WE WILL START TO SEE SOME CLEARING FOR AREAS OF WESTERN NV.
EXPECT A SLICK AM COMMUTE THOUGH, WITH LOWS PLUNGING INTO THE
SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS. THIS BREAK IN STORM ACTIVITY LOOKS TO BE
SHORT LIVED, AS ANOTHER FAST MOVING STORM IS POISED TO BRING
ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW TO THE EASTERN SIERRA AND WESTERN NV AS SOON
AS EARLY THURSDAY MORNING, AND CONTINUING INTO THURSDAY EVENING.
WHILE THE TRACK OF THIS STORM STILL SHOWS SOME VARIANCE, IF IT
FOLLOWS A MORE FAVORABLE TRACK, AN ADDITIONAL 3-8" OF SNOW WOULD
FALL ACROSS THE TAHOE BASIN, WESTERN MONO COUNTY AND NORTHEAST CA,
WITH AROUND 1 FOOT NEAR THE SIERRA CREST. THE URBAN AREAS OF FAR
WESTERN NV AND THE US-395 CORRIDOR OF MONO COUNTY COULD RECEIVE UP
TO A COUPLE INCHES OF NEW SNOW, WITH ISOLATED AMOUNTS NEAR 4".
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WILL BE QUITE CHILLY BUT OFFER MORE OF A
BREAK BETWEEN THE STORMS, WITH SOME WARMING BY SUNDAY. THERE ARE
SIGNALS FOR ANOTHER STORM BY EARLY NEXT WEEK, POSSIBLY ARRIVING AS
EARLY AS SUNDAY NIGHT FOR THE SIERRA. EARLY INDICATIONS ARE MORE
OF A SIERRA SNOW AND VALLEY RAIN SCENARIO ALONG WITH GUSTY WINDS,
BUT KEEP POSTED TO OUR UPCOMING FORECASTS AS WE CONTINUE TRACKING
THESE SUBSEQUENT STORMS. MJD
AVIATION
* SIERRA TERMINALS (KTVL, KTRK, KMMH): MAJOR AVIATION IMPACTS
INCLUDING AIRPORT CLOSURES CONTINUE THROUGH LATE TONIGHT WITH
PROLONGED PERIODS OF IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS, SNOW COVERED RUNWAYS
AND GUSTY-STRONG WINDS PRODUCING BLOWING SNOW, WIDESPREAD
TURBULENCE AND SHEAR.
* WESTERN NV TERMINALS (KRNO, KCXP, KMEV): EXPECT GUSTY WINDS,
TURBULENCE AND LLWS WITH BRIEF PERIODS OF MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS
DURING -SHSN THROUGH 17Z TODAY. THE MOST WIDESPREAD AVIATION
IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED FROM AROUND 17Z UNTIL 04-06Z THIS EVENING
WITH NEARLY CONTINUOUS SNOW PRODUCING PERIODS OF IFR OR LIFR
CONDITIONS, AND SURFACE GUSTS NEAR 35 KT. 40-60% CHANCE FOR
RUNWAY ACCUMULATIONS AT LEAST 4" AT THE MAIN TERMINALS. MJD
CONDITIONS IMPROVE TEMPORARILY FOR WEDNESDAY, BUT ANOTHER FAST
MOVING STORM COULD BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW AND WIND IMPACTS
FOR AREA TERMINALS ON THURSDAY.
AVALANCHE
OUR MAJOR, MULTI-DAY WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT ALL
AVALANCHE CENTER TERRAIN THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.
* SNOWFALL TOTALS AND RATES: THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING, 1-3
FEET OF SNOW ALONG THE CREST, WITH LOCALLY UP TO 4 FEET ALONG THE
HIGHEST PEAKS. HEAVIEST SNOWFALL RATES WILL BE THIS AFTERNOON AND
THROUGH THE EVENING, WITH RATES OF 2-3"/HR ACROSS MOST AVALANCHE
CENTER TERRAIN (LOCALIZED RATES OF 3+"/HR IN SOUTHERN MONO
COUNTY). THIS IS DUE TO THE HIGHER SLRS.
* SLRS AND SWE: EXPECT SLRS OF 14-16:1 DUE TO COLDER AIR MOVING INTO
THE AREA. SWE OF 1-3" THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING, WITH UP TO
3.5" ALONG THE HIGHEST PEAKS, MAINLY IN SOUTHERN MONO COUNTY.
* RIDGETOP GUSTS: SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 70-90 MPH THROUGH MUCH OF TODAY
WITH LOCALIZED GUSTS EXCEEDING 100+ MPH THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING.
-GIRALTE
AVALANCHE WEATHER WEBPAGE - WWW.WEATHER.GOV/REV/AVALANCHEWEATHER
REV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
NV...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST WEDNESDAY NVZ001-005.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST WEDNESDAY NVZ002.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 7 AM TUESDAY TO 4 AM PST WEDNESDAY
NVZ003.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 1 PM TUESDAY TO 4 AM PST WEDNESDAY
NVZ004.
CA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST WEDNESDAY CAZ070.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST WEDNESDAY CAZ071>073.
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