National Weather Service notices: Hazardous Weather Outlook March 11: Black Rock playa conditions: \"moist\" (snowed wednesday morning) High Rock Canyon is now closed to vehicles (February 1st, until early May.) Expect temperature to drop at night, and make sure to pack extra coats and blankets if you are traveling through sparse areas. Beware of carbon monoxide poisoning from running the heat in a standing car for too long, or from propane appliances. Call Friends for up-to-date information. We are located right off the Playa and are in touch with whats going on out here. 775.557.2900 info@blackrockdesert.org MODIS imagery viewer Gerlach Monthly Climate Summary 1/1948 thru 4/2007 BM Gerlach: station: temp, wind, barometer, DW1623 Bryan Dongray's Weather at Gerlach Weather Underground: Gerlach National Weather Service: Gerlach, Vya, Truckee, soaring National Weather Service radar: Reno University of Utah MesoWest: Surface Weather Map Road Conditions: Nevada (map), CalTrans, Oregon Black Rock Desert "Clear Sky Chart": link Satellite: visible, infrared, watervapor, westpac Earthquake: UNR helicorder, NBE; USGS map Sunrise/Sunset: pdf looking south-east from Hualapai Valley (refresh / animate)

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 Area Forecast Discussion (glossary)
 
 FXUS65 KREV 122301
 AFDREV
 
 AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
 300 PM PST FRI MAR 12 2010
 
 .SHORT TERM...
 LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CONTINUES TO MOVE INTO NRN CA THIS AFTERNOON 
 WITH PRECIP BANKING INTO THE SIERRA. WINDS CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN 
 ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA WITH GUSTS IN THE 40-57 MPH BEING OBSERVED 
 IN THE LEE OF THE SIERRA WITH SIERRA RIDGE GUSTS OVER 80 MPH. THE 
 STRONGEST WINDS ARE STILL EXPECTED TO OCCUR FROM NOW THROUGH 6-12Z 
 FROM STEAD DOWN TO MAMMOTH LAKES ALONG THE HIGHWAY 395 CORRIDOR. 
 WINDS WILL SHIFT FROM MORE SSW TO WESTERLY THROUGH THIS 
 EVENING...PROVIDING A MORE FAVORABLE DOWNSLOPE DIRECTION WITH A 
 CRITICAL LAYER ABOVE RIDGETOP STILL IN PLACE. THE MOST FAVORABLE 
 PROFILE IS STILL EXPECTED TO SET UP OVER MONO COUNTY WHERE GUSTS TO 
 70 MPH ARE LIKELY IN FAVORED AREAS. LOCAL SREF WIND PLUMES SHOW BEST 
 WIND POTENTIAL IN RENO/CC TO BE BETWEEN 00-03Z AND CLOSER TO 06Z 
 FROM BRIDGEPORT TO MAMMOTH. 
 
 SNOW LEVELS HAVE STARTED TO DROP ACROSS THE AREA AND ARE NOW DOWN TO 
 AROUND 5500 FEET IN WESTERN LASSEN COUNTY AND 6500 FEET IN THE TAHOE 
 BASIN. THEY WILL CONTINUE TO PLUMMET THIS EVENING A STRONG COLD 
 FRONT...WITH -14-15C 700MB TEMPS POST FRONTAL SETS IN. THIS WILL 
 BRING SNOW LEVELS DOWN TO ALL VALLEY FLOORS BESIDES POSSIBLY IN 
 MINERAL COUNTY WHERE THE NORTH TO SOUTH PROGRESSION OF THE FRONT 
 STALLS. THERE WAS A NICE NARROW COLD FRONTAL RAINBAND THAT MOVED 
 INTO NW CA THIS MORNING WHICH WAS PLACED NEAR THE BACK EDGE OF THE 
 MAIN PRECIP SHIELD. THIS SHOULD RESULT IN MOST OF THE PRECIP FALLING 
 AS RAIN IN WRN NV VALLEYS BEFORE CHANGING TO SNOW AS THE PRECIP 
 COMES TO AN END WITH ONLY SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS TO FOLLOW. FOR THE 
 SIERRA...SNOW ADVISORY LOOKS ON TRACK FOR TAHOE BASIN WITH A LITTLE 
 OVER A FOOT EXPECTED ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF THE BASIN ABOVE 7000 
 FEET WITH MORE LIKE 3-6 INCHES AT LAKE LEVEL AS RAIN TURNS TO SNOW 
 EVERYWHERE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. IN MONO COUNTY...ACCUMULATING 
 SNOWS ARE EXPECTED WITH AMOUNTS OF 5-9 INCHES ABOVE 7500 FEET WEST 
 OF HIGHWAY 395 WITH UP TO SEVERAL INCHES ELSEWHERE. BUT WITH THE 
 MAIN PRECIP BAND FRACTURING AS IT SAGS SOUTH...WIDESPREAD SNOW 
 AMOUNTS  LOOK TO BE SHY OF ADVISORY CRITERIA BUT WILL STILL LEAD TO 
 SOME TRAVEL ISSUES WHEN COMBINED WITH GUSTY WINDS. 
 
 THIS FAST MOVING SYSTEM WILL BE OUT OF THE FORECAST AREA SATURDAY 
 WITH ONLY ISOLATED/SCATTERED SHOWERS IN THE MORNING FOLLOWED BY 
 QUICK CLEARING. SATURDAY NIGHT WILL BE QUITE COLD ACROSS THE REGION 
 BEFORE A SIGNIFICANT WARMING TREND TRANSPIRES LATE THIS WEEKEND INTO 
 EARLY NEXT WEEK AS STRONG RIDGING BUILDS IN.  MILNE
 
 
 .LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...
 THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK WILL FEATURE A HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGE IN 
 THE WESTERN U.S. WITH THE AXIS GENERALLY FROM THE NORTHERN ROCKIES 
 TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.  THIS WILL THE SIERRA AND WESTERN NEVADA 
 UNDER WEAK SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT.
 
 FOR MIDWEEK...WEDNESDAY....A SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE PACNW AND 
 EFFECTIVELY FLATTENS THE WESTERN U.S. RIDGE...RESULTING IN WEAK 
 ZONAL FLOW ACROSS THE AREA. THE GFS DEVELOPS INSTABILITY FOR 
 WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN MONO/MINERAL COUNTIES WHICH COULD 
 RESULT IN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WHILE THE EC GENERATES AN AXIS OF 
 INSTABILITY ACROSS NORTHERN NV. AT THIS TIME WILL NOT INTRODUCE 
 ISOLATED SHOWERS/TSTMS FOR WED BUT WILL HAVE TO SEE HOW MODELS 
 EVOLVE.
 
 THURSDAY AND FRIDAY DETERMINISTIC MODELS SHOW LARGE DISCREPANCIES 
 DUE TO THE PLACEMENT OF THE STRONG RIDGE THAT REDEVELOPS IN THE WAKE 
 OF THE EXITING PACNW SYSTEM AND ANOTHER TROUGH MOVING INTO THE 
 EASTERN PACIFIC. THE GFS PUMPS UP A STRONG RIDGE ALONG 125W AND 
 MIGRATES IT EAST TO ABOUT 120W BY FRIDAY. THIS KEEPS OUR AREA UNDER 
 ANOMALOUSLY HIGH 500MB HEIGHTS... WITH 700MB TEMPERATURES TO +4C 
 WHICH WOULD RESULT IN 70 DEGREE READINGS FOR WESTERN NV VALLEYS. THE 
 EC IS QUITE DIFFERENT...KEEPING THE HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGE AXIS FROM 
 135W TO 130W. THIS ALLOWS AN UPPER LOW TO SLIDE DOWN THE BACKSIDE OF 
 THE RIDGE INTO THE EASTERN GREAT BASIN...RESULTING IN COOL NORTHWEST 
 FLOW ALOFT. 500MB HEIGHT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE 2 SCENARIOS RANGE 
 FROM 10DM TO 15DM ACROSS WESTERN NV...MEANING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 
 A SUNNY WARM 70 DEGREE DAY OR COOL BREEZY CONDITIONS WITH HIGHS IN 
 THE MID 50S.
 
 AS MENTIONED EARLIER... CONFIDENCE IS HIGH THROUGH MID WEEK AND LOW 
 FOR THE THURSDAY TO FRIDAY TIME PERIOD AS ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE IS SPLIT 
 BETWEEN THE DETERMINISTIC SOLUTIONS.  
 
 
 
 .AVIATION...
 WINDS ARE VERY STRONG AND GUSTY AHEAD OF AN INTENSE COLD FRONT THAT 
 WILL PUSH ACROSS THE SIERRA AND WESTERN NEVADA TONIGHT AND EARLY 
 SATURDAY. RAIN WILL CHANGE TO MODERATE SNOW IN THE SIERRA THIS 
 EVENING WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE TO 
 SCATTERED SHOWERS IN THE SIERRA BY 12Z WITH PRECIPITATION ENDING BY 
 16Z SATURDAY.
 
 RIDGE TOP WINDS WILL BE 80+KTS THROUGH 06Z AND THEN WILL DIMINISH 
 QUICKLY BY 12Z. MOUNTAIN WAVES AND LEE ROTORS THROUGH 06Z. THERE 
 WILL BE WIDESPREAD MOUNTAIN OBSCUREMENT IN RAIN/SNOW. 
 
 KRNO...SOUTH SOUTHWEST WINDS 20KTS GUSTING TO 35-40KTS THROUGH 07Z. 
 COLD FRONT PASSAGE AROUND 07Z-08Z. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO DECREASE 
 AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE BECOMING 10-15KTS FROM THE NORTHWEST BY 12Z. 
 THERE WILL BE A FEW RAIN SHOWERS THROUGH 06Z WITH A LIGHT 
 ACCUMULATION OF SNOW 06Z-10Z. EXPECT ONLY A DUSTING TO A QUARTER OF 
 AN INCH AT THE AIRPORT.
 
 KTRK AND KTVL...RAIN AND SNOW IN MVFR CONDITIONS BECOMING IFR TO 
 LIFR IN SNOW BY 06Z. RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW BY 00Z. EXPECT 2 
 TO 4 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION 00Z-07Z WITH ADDITIONAL SHOWERS THROUGH 
 12Z. EXPECT GUSTY SOUTH WINDS THROUGH 06Z WITH GUSTS TO 25-30KT. 
 COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL BE AROUND 05Z AT KTRK AND 07Z AT KTVL. 
 
 
 
 .REV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
 NV...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR PYRAMID LAKE 
      IN NVZ004.
 
      WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST SATURDAY NVZ002.
 
      WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST SATURDAY NVZ001-003.
 
 CA...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4 AM PST SATURDAY CAZ073.
 
      WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM PST SATURDAY CAZ072.