There are several variables that make up the weather and climate of a place; precipitation, temperature, pressure, wind, humidity. Weather is the condition of the atmosphere, in terms of these variables, at a particular place over a short period of time. Climate is the average weather usually taken over a 30-year time period for a particular place or region.
Climate in the West is often considered over a water year rather than a calendar year. A water year runs from October 1st to September 30th and can be thought to best represent one complete cycle of accumulation and depletion of water resources.
The first three figures, presented here for Reno, Las Vegas, and Elko, summarize current temperature and precipitation status from the beginning of the current water year, compared to historical averages.
The upper part of the graph shows our historical temperature patterns (red being hot; light blue being cold; green being average) while the dark blue lines plot current daily highs and lows.
The lower part of the graph summarizes current total precipitation and snow pack compared to our cumulative target amount. Notice that all three locations have experienced warmer than normal temperatures and below normal precipitation and snow pack
The bottom two figures show how the temperature and precipitation have varied from normal spatially over Nevada during the current water year.