Say HI to your HIGH!

Guess who's coming to dinner? He's big, he's coming from California and he's HIGH! Oh, gawd! A few days ago back when we spoofed that snake out in the Pacific, we kinda thought there would be a giant high pressure system taking up residence in the Great Basin and Southwest US. Today, it looks virtually certain that this high pressure will soon move in for a visit. Below are some Sunday morning snippets from various western AFD's. Please take time to note and ponder the comments out of Las Vegas. MOST interesting!

(Pocatello)--BY THURSDAY THE STRONG HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE ALONG THE WEST COAST MOVES INLAND WITH AGREEMENT OF ALL EXTENDED MODELS. THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SHOULD BE SHOWER FREE EVERYWHERE IN SOUTHEAST IDAHO. SOME HIGH CIRRUS CLOUDS CONTINUE TO DRIFT THROUGH. OTHERWISE THE MAIN WEATHER TRENDS WILL BE FOR A WIDER DIURNAL TEMPERATURES SPREAD AND THE POSSIBILITY OF PATCHY FOG UNDER STRONG SUBSIDENCE INVERSION.

(ELKO) SHORT TERM...CURRENTLY HAVE A 595DM RIDGE CENTERED AT ABOUT 300 MILES OFF THE NORTHERN CA COAST...MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THIS MORNING THROUGH NEXT WEEK. HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED NEAR THE CALIFORNIA COAST ON TUESDAY NIGHT WILL BECOME MORE PROGRESSIVE IN THE FOLLOWING DAYS WHILE MAINTAINING STRENGTH.

(LAS VEGAS) LONG TERM...I HAD SOME TIME TONIGHT WITH THE QUIET WX TO LOOK THIS UP BUT FOUND IT INTERESTING...ALL 3 PREVIOUS DECEMBERS WHERE LAS VEGAS HAS SEEN AT LEAST AN INCH OF SNOW FALL WERE FOLLOWED BY A JANUARY WITH EITHER A TRACE OR 0.01 INCH OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH. WHILE ONLY TIME WILL TELL IF THIS JANUARY WILL FOLLOW SUCH AN ANALOGUE THE LATEST LONG RANGE MODELS REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH KEEPING A HIGHLY AMPLIFIED PATTERN LOCKED IN ACROSS THE US THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK. A VERY STRONG 500 MB HIGH IS FORECAST TO BUILD INTO NORCAL WEDNESDAY WHILE A DEEP TROUGH PERSISTS IN THE EASTERN US. THIS STRONG RIDGE WILL RESULT IN 700 MB TEMPS OF +4C TO +6C BY THE END OF THIS WEEK WHICH WILL RESULT IN WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...WITH TEMPS IN SOME INSTANCES AS WARM IF NOT WARMER THAN VALLEYS WHERE INVERSIONS WILL LIMIT JUST HOW WARM THINGS GET.

(FLAGSTAFF) BY TUESDAY WE EXPECT A WARMING TREND TO START...WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES 8 TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS LASTING THROUGH FRIDAY.

(RENO) HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN 8-15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL...OR IN THE 50S AT MOST ELEVATIONS THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.