Not every storm is the same, the one that moves in Monday will be more of a wind maker than anything else. A High Wind Warning has been posted for the Truckee Meadows as well as northeast California, from Monday through Tuesday. In Reno the warning begins at 12pm Monday and goes through 7am Tuesday for wind gusts over 50mph. Wind prone areas along 180 and 395 could see wind gusts closer to 80mph. The strong down sloping winds will go through Tuesday morning and will be strong enough to where you’ll be able to hear it at night. Wind prone areas like Washoe Valley will see wind gusts well over 50mph late Monday. Wind gusts will be strong in the Sierra as well. In fact, wind gusts could reach 100mph in the high Sierra at the crest. This is not that uncommon when a winter storm rolls through. Wind speeds will be strong enough in the valley for power outages, flight cancellations, and some tree branches to break. It will also be hazardous for semis, as they could topple over. Strong winds will also blow around both old and new snow, lowering visibility.
The center of the low will stay over the Pacific Northwest with the tail end of the storm reaching northern Nevada. Snow totals will range from a few inches to a foot in localized areas in northeast California. Totals will be higher along the western Sierra and north of I80 with lesser amounts south. Not expecting much in the way of precipitation for the valley.
The strongest winds are found in the upper levels of the atmosphere called the jet stream. A jet max is a part of the jet stream with enhanced wind speeds. The jet stream will be aimed at northern California Monday, making wind speeds at the surface even stronger. A strong jet stream aloft does not always correlate to strong winds at the surface, but this time around the forecast is coming together for down sloping winds. Down sloping winds accelerate as they rush down the mountains. Winds speeds will still be strong on Tuesday, but slowly improving throughout the day as the storm moves east. Highs this week will be in the 40’s to about 50 degrees. Make sure to bring your Christmas decorations inside if you don’t want to lose them in the wind storm.
