008
FXUS65 KVEF 180507
AFDVEF

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Las Vegas NV
907 PM PST Wed Dec 17 2025

.KEY MESSAGES...

* Breezy winds today across the western portions our area today,
  but otherwise mild and calm conditions continue through the work
  week.

* A disturbance will bring a low chance for precipitation to
  portions of Inyo and Esmeralda counties over the weekend.

* We are continuing to keep an eye on the potential for a low
  pressure system to impact the area around the Christmas holiday.
  However, confidence in exact details remains low at this time.

&&

.DISCUSSION...through Christmas Eve.

Breezy westerly-to-northwesterly winds will continue across portions
of our forecast area as a shortwave sweeps through the Pacific
Northwest. The strongest winds are expected in the Eastern Sierra,
Southern Great Basin, and far Western Mojave Deserts. Isolated wind
gusts in excess of 40 mph will be possible in the aforementioned
areas, especially in higher terrain, but most wind gusts will fall
in the 25 to 35 mph range. These winds will decrease on Thursday as
the shortwave ejects into the Northern Plains with dry and mild
conditions expected across the region through the end of the work
week.

Another shortwave will swing through the Pacific Northwest as we
head into the weekend, pushing the jet further south into Central
California. This system will bring a 20 to 40% chance of
precipitation to northern Inyo County and northwestern Esmeralda
County over the weekend into early next week. Precipitation totals
are expected to be anywhere from a few hundredths of an inch in the
lower elevations to a couple tenths of an inch in the Sierra. Snow
levels will limit new snow accumulations to the Sierra Crest as they
will be above 9,000 feet through the weekend, dropping into the
8,000 to 9,000 range on early Monday. Outside of the northwestern
portions of our forecast area, weather over the weekend and into
next week will remain relatively mild with warmer than normal
temperatures persisting across the region.

As we look ahead to Christmastime, we are continuing to monitor the
potential for an impactful weather system to move into the area.
There is high confidence in a pattern shift occurring mid-to-late
next week, with ensemble members in agreement that there will be a
trough off the coast. However, the little details, such as how this
system will evolve and how strong it will be when it impacts the
area remain uncertain. Potential hazards include heavy rain and
gusty winds, which may impact holiday travel depending on the timing
of this system so be sure to keep an eye on the forecast if you are
planning on traveling this holiday season.

&&

.AVIATION...For Harry Reid...For the 06Z Forecast Package...Winds
will continue to follow typical diurnal directional patterns through
the forecast period, with speeds remaining under 8KT. VFR conditions
will prevail through Thursday, as bands of high clouds stream over
the valley, with bases remaining AOA 20kft AGL.


For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast
California...For the 06Z Forecast Package...Winds have diminished
across the western Mojave Desert this evening, with speeds in most
areas falling below 12 knots. Winds will fall below 10 knots
overnight in this area and remain below 12 knots on Thursday.
Elsewhere, winds will remain around 5 to 10 knots through Thursday,
with localized terrain-driven gusts to around 20 knots expected in
the vicinity of IFP in the Colorado River Valley Thursday afternoon.
VFR conditions will prevail through Thursday, as bands of high
clouds stream over the region, with bases remaining AOA 20kft AGL.

&&

.CLIMATE...Numerous climate locations have a forecast high
temperature and/or forecast warm low temperature within 3 degrees of
the daily record for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

The table below shows the daily record maximum temperature and the
year the record was last set. An asterisk (*) denotes which records
are in jeopardy (within 3 degrees of the forecast).

MAX            WED, DEC 17  THU, DEC 18  FRI, DEC 19
               Record(Yr)   Record(Yr)   Record(Yr)

Las Vegas      71(1942)*    72(1939)     68(2024)*
Bishop         72(1998)*    72(1999)*    69(1985)*
Needles        77(1980)*    75(2024)*    76(2024)*
Daggett        76(1998)*    80(1998)     76(1950)*
Kingman        70(1980)*    74(1980)     76(1917)
Desert Rock    72(1998)*    69(2024)*    69(2024)*
Death Valley   88(1998)     86(1998)     75(1950)

The table below shows the daily record warm minimum temperature and
the year the record was last set. An asterisk (*) denotes which
records are in jeopardy (within 3 degrees of the forecast).

WARM MIN       WED, DEC 17  THU, DEC 18  FRI, DEC 19
               Record(Yr)   Record(Yr)   Record(Yr)

Las Vegas      47(2010)*    48(1962)*    55(2010)
Bishop         33(1978)*    38(2010)     48(1999)
Needles        61(1998)     57(2010)     58(2010)
Daggett        49(1983)*    50(1980)*    48(1980)*
Kingman        44(1980)*    46(2010)*    49(2010)
Desert Rock    41(2014)*    45(2024)*    50(2010)
Death Valley   60(1998)     58(1914)     56(1914)*

&&

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...Spotters are encouraged to report
any significant weather or impacts according to standard operating
procedures.

&&

$$

DISCUSSION/CLIMATE...Stessman
AVIATION...Planz

For more forecast information...see us on our webpage:
https://weather.gov/lasvegas or follow us on Facebook and Twitter