773  
FXUS65 KVEF 210824  
AFDVEF  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV  
1224 AM PST FRI FEB 21 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE COLORADO  
RIVER TODAY, DECREASING IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HIGH PRESSURE  
WILL BRING UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES TO THE AREA NEXT WEEK.  

 
   
SHORT TERM
 
TODAY.  
 
THE MAIN POINT OF INTEREST FOR TODAY'S FORECAST IS WIND. THE UPPER  
LEVEL DISTURBANCE IS CURRENTLY CENTERED OVER COLORADO AND A VORT MAX  
WILL DROP SOUTH THROUGH EASTERN NEVADA ALONG THE BACK SIDE OF THE  
DISTURBANCE TODAY. SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENTS TIGHTEN IN RESPONSE.  
THE PRIMARY IMPACT WILL BE GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS, HIGHEST IN THE  
COLORADO RIVER VALLEY. WINDS SHOULD PEAK THIS MORNING WITH A 40 TO  
60 PERCENT PROBABILITY OF GUSTS REACHING OVER 40 MPH THIS MORNING  
BETWEEN LAUGHLIN AND NEEDLES ACCORDING TO THE HREF. HOWEVER, MOST  
GUSTS IN THE COLORADO RIVER VALLEY SHOULD BE IN THE 30 TO 40 MPH  
RANGE. THESE WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE IN THE AFTERNOON AS THE  
DISTURBANCE TRACKS EAST AND THE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT RELAXES.  
STILL NO PLANS FOR ISSUING WIND HEADLINES TODAY GIVEN THE LIMITED  
SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL EXTENT OF ADVISORY LEVEL WINDS. AS USUAL WITH  
ELEVATED WINDS IN THIS AREA, BOATERS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR WAVES OF  
UP TO 3 FEET ON LAKE MOHAVE.  
 
FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST AREA, EXPECT LIGHTER NORTHERLY  
WINDS TODAY COMPARED TO YESTERDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR  
AVERAGE, WHICH FOR LAS VEGAS MEANS HIGHS IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S.  
   
LONG TERM
 
SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.  
 
A BROAD UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE WILL BUILD ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST  
FROM THE SOUTHEASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN, WHICH WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES  
TO CLIMB WELL-ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS THE REGION THIS WEEKEND INTO THE  
START OF NEXT WEEK. EARLY NEXT WEEK, TEMPERATURES IN DESERT VALLEYS  
WILL INCREASE INTO THE MID-TO-UPPER 70S WITH THE LOWEST ELEVATION  
VALLEYS SUCH AS LAKE HAVASU CITY AND DEATH VALLEY CLIMBING INTO THE  
UPPER-80S, WHICH IS 10-12 DEGREES ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS.  
 
MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY, A WEAK SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE INTO THE  
PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND GREAT BASIN DESERT, WHICH WILL RESULT IN A  
SLIGHT DAMPENING TO THE UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN.  
THOUGH THIS WOULD TYPICALLY RESULT IN A TEMPERATURE DECREASE, THE  
INCREASED PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL ELEVATE WIND SPEEDS ENOUGH TO  
FACILITATE ATMOSPHERIC MIXING AND ALLOW TUESDAY TO OBSERVE THE  
HOTTEST TEMPERATURES OF THE WEEK. RIDGING WILL REBUILD OVER THE  
REGION WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, THOUGH HEIGHTS WILL RANGE 4-6 MB  
LOWER THAN EARLIER IN THE WEEK. AS A RESULT, TEMPERATURES WILL  
REMAIN WELL-ABOVE NORMAL, BUT WILL DECREASE SLIGHTLY THROUGH THE  
REMAINDER OF THE WEEK.  
 
EXPECT "MINOR" HEATRISK IN DESERT VALLEYS THROUGH THE LONG TERM  
FORECAST PERIOD INCLUDING AREAS SUCH AS THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY, MOAPA  
VALLEY, COLORADO RIVER VALLEY, MORONGO BASIN, PAHRUMP VALLEY, AND  
DEATH VALLEY. MINOR HEATRISK AFFECTS PRIMARILY THOSE INDIVIDUALS  
EXTREMELY SENSITIVE TO HEAT, ESPECIALLY WHEN OUTDOORS WITHOUT  
EFFECTIVE COOLING AND/OR ADEQUATE HYDRATION.  
 
THE EXTENDED FORECAST REINTRODUCES POPS TO THE REGION LATE-WEEK,  
THOUGH UNCERTAINTY IS VERY HIGH AT THIS TIME. ENSEMBLE MEANS  
INDICATE THAT A CLOSED LOW WILL PUSH INTO THE REGION FROM THE  
EASTERN PACIFIC, WHICH WILL ERODE THE UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE IN PLACE  
OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST AND USHER IN MODEST MOISTURE. AT THE  
MOMENT, IT LOOKS AS THOUGH THE BULK OF THE MOISTURE HITS THE  
WINDWARD SIDE OF THE SIERRA NEVADA, THOUGH THE DETERMINISTIC ECMWF  
INTEGRATED WATER VAPOR (IVT) HINTS AT AN INTERESTING SOUTHWESTERLY  
MOISTURE TRAJECTORY, WHICH WOULD BODE WELL FOR MOJAVE DESERT  
PRECIPITATION. WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH HOW THIS UNFOLDS AS WE GET  
CLOSER, AS THIS EVENT IS AT THE TAIL-END OF OUR FORECAST PERIOD.  

 
   
AVIATION...FOR HARRY REID...FOR THE 06Z FORECAST PACKAGE
 
THE  
WINDS SHOULD BECOME MORE IN THE 340-010 FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT  
AND BE AT OR BELOW 10 KTS AND THEN SETTLE TO A NORTHEAST DIRECTION  
BY EARLY AFTERNOON ON FRIDAY. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT AND DIURNALLY  
DRIVEN FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. NO OPERATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT  
CLOUDS OR WEATHER EXPECTED.  
 
FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA, NORTHWEST ARIZONA AND SOUTHEAST  
CALIFORNIA...FOR THE 06Z FORECAST PACKAGE...FOR THE LAS VEGAS VALLEY  
TAF SITES, LOOK FOR NORTHWEST TO NORTH WINDS OVERNIGHT WITH SPEEDS  
AROUND 10 KTS. GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST DOWN THE LOWER  
COLORADO RIVER VALLEY OVERNIGHT WITH SPEEDS BETWEEN 10-20 KTS. WINDS  
AT KDAG WILL GRADUALLY BECOME LIGHT AND VARIABLE. NORTHWEST WINDS  
UNDER 10 KTS ARE EXPECTED AT KBIH OVERNIGHT AND BECOME LIGHT  
VARIABLE DURING THE DAY ON FRIDAY. NO OPERATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT  
CLOUDS OR WEATHER EXPECTED THROUGH FRIDAY.  

 
   
SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT
 
SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT  
ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OR IMPACTS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING  
PROCEDURES.  
 

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...MELTZER  
LONG TERM...SOULAT  
AVIATION...CZYZYK  
 
FOR MORE FORECAST INFORMATION...SEE US ON OUR WEBPAGE:  
HTTPS://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS OR FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER  
 
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