421
FXUS65 KVEF 040537
AFDVEF
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAS VEGAS NV
937 PM PST SAT JAN 3 2026
KEY MESSAGES
* HEAVY SNOW WILL RETURN TO THE SIERRA SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WITH
MODERATE TO MAJOR IMPACTS ABOVE 7000 FEET.
* UNSETTLED WEATHER PERSISTS THROUGH THE WEEK WITH PERIODS OF BREEZY
WINDS, LIGHT RAIN, AND MOUNTAIN SNOW.
DISCUSSION
THROUGH FRIDAY.
LATEST RADAR AND SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS A SOLID PLUME OF MOISTURE
AND PRECIPITATION STREAMING INTO THE SOUTHERN SIERRA THIS MORNING
AND AFTERNOON. AUTOMATED SNOW SITES IN OUR PORTION OF THE EASTERN
SIERRA HAVE MEASURED UP TO 6" OF NEW SNOW AS OF 10AM PST.
ACCUMULATIONS WILL CONTINUE TO PILE UP, AND SLOWLY BEGIN AT LOWER
ELEVATIONS AS SNOW LEVELS FALL TO ~6500 FEET. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF
5-15" LIKELY BETWEEN 8-10KFT, WITH UP TO 6" BETWEEN 7-8KFT. A WINTER
STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4AM MONDAY.
ANOMALOUS MOISTURE REMAINS IN PLACE (AS EVIDENCED BY THE ABUNDANT
LOW CLOUDS) THANKS TO A LARGE TROUGH OFF THE WEST COAST. SHORTWAVES
EMBEDDED IN THE SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL SPARK PERIODS OF
PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE REST OF THE AREA. OUTSIDE OF WESTERN INYO
COUNTY, THIS PRECIPITATION WILL BE LIGHT (CHANCES FOR 0.25"+ IN ANY
24-HR WINDOW IS LESS THAN 25%). COMBINED WITH SNOW LEVELS GENERALLY
6-8KFT, THE POTENTIAL FOR WINTER IMPACTS OUTSIDE OF THE SIERRA IS
LOW (UNDER 30%). BEST CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION ARE TODAY THROUGH
MONDAY, MAINLY IN AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 15. IN TERMS
OF WINDS, PERIODS OF GUSTS BETWEEN 20-35 MPH ARE LIKELY (70%) ACROSS
THE AREA, BUT CHANCES FOR IMPACTFUL GUSTS OVER 40 MPH ARE GENERALLY
BELOW 30%.
AVIATION...FOR HARRY REID...FOR THE 06Z FORECAST PACKAGE
NO
IMPACTFUL WINDS ARE ANTICIPATED UNTIL SUNDAY AFTERNOON, WHEN
SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 10 TO 15 KNOTS. CIGS
WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE MAIN CONCERN, WITH BASES GENERALLY REMAINING
AROUND 5KFT AGL LATE THIS EVENING. SOME LOWERING OF BASES IS
EXPECTED OVERNIGHT, BUT THERE IS CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY REGARDING
HOW LOW THEY MAY FALL. SOME GUIDANCE INDICATES BASES FALLING AS LOW
AS 500FT AGL; HOWEVER, GIVEN THE LACK OF ADDITIONAL PRECIPITATION IN
THE VALLEY TODAY, THIS APPEARS UNLIKELY. I DID INCLUDE A TEMPO GROUP
FROM 11Z TO 15Z FOR CIGS OF 1KFT AGL, BUT PREVAILING CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED TO BE IN THE 3KFT TO 4KFT AGL RANGE. ADDITIONAL SHOWERS ARE
POSSIBLE AGAIN SUNDAY EVENING, WHICH COULD ONCE AGAIN LOWER CIGS
BELOW 3KFT AGL.
FOR THE REST OF SOUTHERN NEVADA, NORTHWESTERN ARIZONA AND
SOUTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA...FOR THE 06Z FORECAST PACKAGE...CIGS WILL
CONTINUE TO BE THE MAIN FORECAST CONCERN ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT
AND THROUGH THE DAY ON SUNDAY. OUTSIDE OF THE OWENS VALLEY, MOST
AREAS WILL SEE BASES FALL INTO THE 3KFT TO 6KFT AGL RANGE OVERNIGHT;
HOWEVER, ISOLATED AREAS BELOW 2KFT AGL WILL BE POSSIBLE TOWARD
DAYBREAK. IN THE OWENS VALLEY, BASES HAVE INCREASED TO ABOVE 10KFT
AGL, ALTHOUGH SOME LOWER CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED BEFORE MORNING,
ESPECIALLY NEAR AND ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF THE SIERRA. ADDITIONAL
SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING, WHICH COULD
RESULT IN CIGS LOWERING INTO THE 3KFT TO 5KFT AGL RANGE ONCE AGAIN.
SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT
SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT
ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OR IMPACTS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING
PROCEDURES.
DISCUSSION...WOODS
AVIATION...PLANZ
FOR MORE FORECAST INFORMATION...SEE US ON OUR WEBPAGE:
HTTPS://WEATHER.GOV/LASVEGAS OR FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page