Fire danger will be critical through the weekend, with a Red Flag Warning up through Saturday at 9 pm for the Truckee Meadows, northeast California, and down through Carson City and Douglas Counties. A Fire Weather Watch is also up for Sunday afternoon and evening.
The difference between a watch and a warning has more to do with confidence level than anything else. Essentially, a warning means it’s happening, while a watch is what is sounds like. The ingredients are there for severe weather, but we’re watching too see if it will come together. A warning means it’s happening. Watches are issued before warnings.
A great example of this, is with tacos. A watch would be when you have all the ingredients for tacos, but you still have to put it together. A warning would be when the taco is ready to eat. You can also use a cake or pizza to demonstrate this.
When a Severe Thunderstorm Watch or Flood Watch is issued, the ingredients are there for it to happen. Then during the event, if flooding is occurring either according to radar or storm reports out in the field, then a warning would be issued. A Winter Storm Watch vs. warning deals with confidence level. Watches will be issued earlier in the week, while warnings will be issued closer to the event. Same goes for Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches.