High Wind in Western Nevada Basin and Range, Nevada

Mesonet station (NBNG Lahontan Reservoir) located 3.0 mi NE of Lahontan Reservoir, NV, and an ASOS located at NAS Fallon (KNFL), NV, reported peak wind gusts of 60 mph and 59 mph respectfully.

A quick-hitting winter storm brings gusty winds, mountain snow, and valley rain through this evening. Winter travel impacts were expected for the Sierra with roughly a 3-6 hour period of strong winds expected with this fast-moving storm system. Wind advisories were hoisted for portions of western Nevada and the Eastern Sierra with impacts expected for outdoor recreation, aviation, and travel for high-profile vehicles. A short burst of heavy snow accompanied the frontal passage across the northern Sierra and into the Tahoe Basin between mid-morning and mid-afternoon of the 3rd of January, with snowfall rates expected to exceed 2 per hour at times. A Winter Weather Advisory was issued for portions of northeast California and the Tahoe Basin late morning into this evening. Travel disruptions were anticipated across those areas, especially Sierra passes into the night. Although overall precipitation totals came up across the entire Sierra, the biggest change being a better signal for precipitation expanding further south into Mono County. With the more southerly orientation of the moisture plume with this system, precipitation spillover was significantly reduced into Eastern Sierra communities. Although some locations were anticipated to see advisory-level conditions, it was decided to not expand the Winter Weather Advisory into Mono County due to the main impacts remaining confined to the highest elevations with strong winds being the bigger concern from this storm system.