A flat ridge of high pressure will keep the Silver State sunny and seasonable for the next week or so. Look for high temperatures in the Reno area to stay somewhere near the 90 degree mark after cooling off to the low 50s and upper 40s overnight, and that pattern stays basically the same through the weekend.

So what is the Urban Heat Island? Average temperatures are calculated using a 30 year rolling average, and those averages are updated at the beginning of the decades. So our “average” Reno temperatures were determined using the period from 1980-2010. Back in the 80s (much of the base period) the airport was surrounded by irrigated alfalfa fields. This natural swamp cooler makes a tremendous difference… especially in the night time period. Now the airport is almost entirely surrounded by concrete and asphalt. As I mentioned, the amount of warming that it can make can be pretty drastic. Just look at differences in places like the airport (the official Reno location) and outlying areas like Spanish Springs or Washoe Valley. All of them are pretty close in elevation and general geography, but the airport can be 10-15 degrees warmer on a clear and calm night, thanks to the heat island.