We have one cold, quick and windy winter storm pushing through the area this week. For Tuesday, the morning will start off cool and calm, but by the afternoon winds will quickly increase ahead of a vigorous cold front. A High Wind Warning goes into effect Tuesday afternoon into early Wednesday morning, with valley wind gusts that could reach 60-70 mph in the wind prone areas. Overnight Tuesday into Wednesday the cold front itself moves through bringing a band of snow to the region. The high winds will cause significant shadowing here in Reno, so we aren’t a sure bet to get snow here in town, and what we do get will be greater on the west side. The mountains could pick up a few inches of snow Tuesday night into Wednesday, and both the mountains and the valleys have Winter Weather Advisories for the first half of Wednesday.

The storm system passes through quickly and the rest of the week should be dry right through Christmas day, although temperatures will be quite chilly with highs mostly in the 30s and lows likely dropping down to single digits in the outlying valleys.