No snow will fall this year on Memorial Day, but it won’t be picture perfect either. Thanks to a somewhat troughy pattern, a stray shower or storm can’t be ruled out through the weekend. Wind will be a bigger problem on Memorial Day itself, with wind gusts forecasted to be in the 30’s and 40’s. The air will be dry too, so make sure to stay fire aware.
There will be some chop on area lakes especially in the afternoon as the Washoe Zephyr kicks in. It will be breezy throughout much of the day on Monday, but stronger in the afternoon and evening. It will be windy on Saturday as well, but not as strong as Monday. Click on the image below to see more outdoor weekend forecasts. It includes forecasts for places like Tahoe, Donner, and Pyramid.
What’s causing the wind is an area of low pressure moving east as a ridge moves out of the area. The temperature change between the mid 80’s on Monday and mid 60’s on Tuesday is strong enough to tighten the pressure gradient and increase wind speeds. Wind gusts will be in the 30’s and 40’s on Monday.
Bring blankets and warm clothing if you plan on camping in the Sierra this weekend. While highs will be in the 70’s, overnight lows will be in the 30’s at lake level. Due to an inversion, it will be warmer at 8,000’ than at 6,500’, where lows will be in the 40’s. Still chilly though.
Friday has the best chance of getting wet compared to the rest of the Memorial Day weekend. The showers and storms will be spotty to scattered, and will focus on the Sierra. There is a 20% chance for showers and storms in the mountains, and a 30% chance in northeast California. It’s about a 10-15% chance in Reno and Carson City.
The showers and storms will develop along the jet stream, which is situated along the Sierra Front. CAPE values, which are food for the storms, will be low, but slightly greater than Thursday. Storm chances move east on Saturday, highlighting the central part of Nevada opposed to the Truckee Meadows.
It will be warm through Monday before a low drops south on Tuesday, dropping temperatures into the mid 60’s with a slight rain chance. Stay tuned for more weather updates both on air and online. You can watch us for free on YouTube as well as our streaming app for video updates. Make sure to like and subscribe.
