Death Valley, California 7 Day Weather Forecast

Wx Forecast - Wx Discussion - Wx Aviation

390
FXUS65 KVEF 182209
AFDVEF

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Las Vegas NV
209 PM PST Thu Dec 18 2025

.KEY MESSAGES...

* Outside of the northwestern portions of our forecast area, where
  there is a slight chance of precipitation over the weekend, dry
  and warmer than normal conditions will continue into next week.

* Confidence in rain and snow impacts around Christmastime
  continues to gradually increase, however, uncertainty remains
  regarding exact details.

&&

.DISCUSSION...through Christmas Day.

Conditions will remain dry across much of the region through early
next week. The exception to this is northern and western Inyo
County, as well as northwestern Esmeralda County where there is a 20
to 40% chance of precipitation in the mountains over the weekend
with a 10 to 20% chance of precipitation in the lower elevations.
Given the near perpendicular upper-level flow with respect to the
Sierra, precipitation amounts will be limited as the mountains
intercept most of the moisture. Precipitation totals through early
Monday morning will likely fall within the 0.01 to 0.10 inch range
in the Owens Valley and lower elevations of Esmeralda County. The
most likely scenario for the White Mountains of Inyo County and
higher terrain of Esmeralda County ranges from 0.01 to 0.25 inches
In the eastern Sierra, the most likely scenario has precipitation
totals somewhere between a few tenths to 0.75 inches through Monday
morning with up to an inch possible in the Sierra Crest. With warmer
than normal temperatures persisting across the region, snow levels
will be between 9,000 and 10,000 feet over the weekend, which will
limit new accumulation and snow related impacts to the ridgeline.

Confidence continues to increase regarding the potential for a low
pressure system to impact the region around mid-to-late next week.
Ensemble members continue to advertise a trough digging south off
the coast of California, resulting in southwesterly flow across
southeastern California, southern Nevada, and northwestern Arizona
which will bring an influx of moisture into the area as we approach
Christmas Day. Beyond the existence of this trough and the
associated increase in moisture, details remain uncertain due to
interensemble discrepancies regarding the timing of this system
moving inland as well as any embedded shortwaves impacting the
Southwestern United States ahead of the main trough. Currently,
heavy precipitation and winds look to be the most impactful weather
with this system, with Christmas Eve and Christmas Day shaping up to
see the most impactful weather. Make sure to keep an eye on the
forecast if you have plans to travel this holiday season as they may
be impacted by the weather.

&&

.AVIATION...For Harry Reid...For the 18Z Forecast Package...Winds
will continue to follow typical diurnal directional patterns through
the forecast period, with speeds remaining under 8KT. VFR conditions
will prevail, with periods of high clouds AOA 20 kft filtering
through the area.

For the rest of southern Nevada, northwest Arizona and southeast
California...For the 18Z Forecast Package...With the exception of
IFP, winds will remain under 12 knots and will tend to follow
typical daily directional trends with periods of light and variable
winds. IFP will see breezy north winds with gusts around 20 knots
possible through the afternoon, dropping off later this evening. VFR
conditions will prevail through tonight, as bands of high clouds
stream over the region, with bases remaining AOA 15kft 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            THU, DEC 18  FRI, DEC 19  SAT, DEC 20
               Record(Yr)   Record(Yr)   Record(Yr)

Las Vegas      72(1939)*    68(2024)*    73(1981)
Bishop         72(1999)*    69(1985)*    71(1972)
Needles        75(2024)*    76(2024)*    76(1981)*
Daggett        80(1998)     76(1950)*    78(1981)
Kingman        74(1980)     76(1917)     74(1917)
Desert Rock    69(2024)*    69(2024)     69(2020)
Death Valley   86(1998)     75(1950)     79(1999)

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       THU, DEC 18  FRI, DEC 19  SAT, DEC 20
               Record(Yr)   Record(Yr)   Record(Yr)

Las Vegas      48(1962)*    55(2010)     50(2010)*
Bishop         38(2010)     48(1999)     42(1981)
Needles        57(2010)     58(2010)     61(1901)
Daggett        50(1980)*    48(1980)*    52(1981)*
Kingman        46(2010)*    49(2010)     51(2010)
Desert Rock    45(2024)*    50(2010)     45(2010)*
Death Valley   58(1914)     56(1914)     65(1999)

&&

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

&&

$$

DISCUSSION/AVIATION/CLIMATE...Stessman


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