Afternoon temperatures in the winter are moderate. With it's relatively high elevation and very low humidity, the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area has a short growing season. More than half of the annual precipitation in Reno falls from December to March. Although there is an average of about 25 inches of snow a year, a single storm usually drops no more than 2 or three inches. Snow seldom remains on the ground for more than three or four days at a time.
Summer rain comes mainly as brief thunderstorms in the middle and late afternoon.
While annual precipitation averages only 7.5 inches, a secure water supply is available from reservoirs in the Sierra Nevada, where winter snowfall is heavy. Humidity is very low during the summer months, and moderately low during the winter. Fogs are rare, and are usually confined to the early morning hours of midwinter.