The National Weather Service in Las Vegas is warning of strong winds today due to a spring weather system moving through the area. Expect patchy blowing dust and difficult driving, especially for high-profile vehicles. Winds are reaching over 40 mph in parts of Southern Nevada, Southern Inyo, and surrounding counties.
As the low pressure system marches into the vicinity, the roaring southwesterly winds are anticipated to be fervent, with a probability of "wind gusts of 58 mph or greater" in specific locations including the Eastern Sierra, Owens Valley, and parts of Clark and Nye Counties, the National Weather Service notes, these conditions will be contributing to the turbulent wave over our heads, the skies painting grey with the promise of light showers possible in the Sierra and the southern Great Basin today, otherwise dry the forecast remains mostly dry for the coming week.
The weather spell is also expected to drag in cooler than usual temperatures for this time of year, dipping around 8 to 12 degrees between today and tomorrow, with up to a foot of snow possible along the crest of the Sierra, which could pose additional travel headaches; in this climate ballet, we're seeing the usual suspects of the weather ensemble executing their springtime performance—the winds the conductor, the temperatures the enigmatic dancers.
Looking ahead toward the weekend, the instability in the atmosphere will linger, as "isolated to scattered showers" potentially spiced up with a flash of thunder, might crop up particularly across Lincoln, Mohave and Clark counties where the probabilities of precipitation play between 30-60%, as reported by the National Weather Service.
For those concerned about air travel, strong westerly to southwesterly winds are the primary concern for the 12Z TAF period around Harry Reid airport, with gusts causing possible visibility reductions due to blowing dust, and a "20 to 30 percent probability that the stronger southwesterly winds will continue into tomorrow night," flyers may want to be prepared for potential delays when packing their patience alongside their essentials. The entirety of the southern Nevada, northwest Arizona, and southeast California region will feel this wind phenomenon.
The National Weather Service is urging local spotters to report any significant weather occurrences or impacts following the standard procedures, a community vigilant together, a reminder that we purely cohabit with the theater of meteorological wonders unfurling above us.
