056
FXUS65 KSLC 270354
AFDSLC
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
954 PM MDT SUN APR 26 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- VALLEY RAIN AND ACCUMULATING MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL SPREAD BACK
ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY.
- FREEZING TEMPERATURES WILL RETURN FOR SOME UTAH VALLEYS TUESDAY
AND WEDNESDAY MORNING.
- A WARMING TREND WILL FOLLOW FOR THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEK INTO
THE UPCOMING WEEKEND.
UPDATE
THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH WHICH BROUGHT WIDESPREAD VALLEY
RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA OVER THE PAST 24
HOURS IS TRANSLATING THROUGH THE CENTRAL ROCKIES THIS EVENING.
WEAK LARGE SCALE SUBSIDENCE IN ITS WAKE HAS ALLOWED PRECIPITATION
TO LARGELY TAPER OFF ACROSS MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA. HOWEVER,
THE NEXT SHORTWAVE TROUGH ALREADY DIGGING INTO THE WESTERN GREAT
BASIN IS SPREADING ASCENT ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NV WHERE
SHOWERS HAVE DEVELOPED AND ARE BEGINNING TO SPREAD INTO WEST
CENTRAL UTAH. THIS SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL SPREAD INTO MORE OF WEST
CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST UTAH LATER THIS EVENING THROUGH TONIGHT,
BEFORE SPREADING INTO NORTHERN UTAH MONDAY MORNING. THE BAND OF
HEAVIEST PRECIP MONDAY LOOKS TO SET UP ACROSS EASTERN TOOELE
COUNTY INTO NORTHERN UTAH AND MOST OF SALT LAKE COUNTIES THROUGH
MUCH OF THE DAY, WITH ACTIVITY WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE FORECAST
AREA LATER TONIGHT THROUGH MUCH OF THE MORNING AND EARLY
AFTERNOON.
00Z GUIDANCE IS LARGELY IN LINE WITH THE PREVIOUS FORECAST, THUS
NO MAJOR ADJUSTMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE AND THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION IS
INCLUDED BELOW. WITH COLDER AIR SPREADING INTO THE REGION BEHIND
THIS SYSTEM, A FREEZE WATCH WAS ISSUED EARLIER FOR MOST CENTRAL
AND SOUTHWEST VALLEYS.
DISCUSSION
RADAR RETURNS AND ACTIVITY HAVE BEEN PALTRY ACROSS
TOOELE AND SALT LAKE VALLEYS THIS MORNING AS SOUTHERLY FLOW HAS
LED TO SOME DOWNSLOPING. HOWEVER, OTHER LOCATIONS, SUCH AS THE
NORTHERN UTAH COUNTY AND THE NORTHERN WASATCH FRONT DON'T HAVE TO
DEAL WITH THIS PROBLEM. THESE LOCATIONS HAVE PICKED UP 0.25 TO AS
MUCH AS 1.00 INCHES OF RAIN SO FAR. THE STORM IS FAR FROM OVER
THOUGH AS IT IS PIVOTING ACROSS THE WASATCH FRONT. AS IT DOES SO,
OUR SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL GRADUALLY TRANSITION TO MORE
WESTERLY/NORTHWESTERLY AND AREAS THAT HAVE MISSED OUT WILL START
TO FILL IN. MOUNTAIN SNOW HAS GENERALLY BE ACROSS ELEVATIONS ABOVE
8000 FEET WITH ACCUMULATING SNOW PRIMARILY ABOVE 9000 FEET.
HEAVIER CELLS, WITH SOME EMBEDDED CONVECTION, HAVE RESULTED IN
QUICK ROAD SLUSH UPS. BUT AS THE RATES COME DOWN WITH THESE ROAD
SNOW SHOULD QUICKLY DISSIPATE.
A LULL IN PRECIPITATION WILL START AROUND 6PM AS THE
LOW EJECTS TO THE EAST, BUT ANOTHER TROUGH WILL BE MOVING INTO THE
GREAT BASIN WITH WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION FORMING BY MONDAY
MORNING. CURRENT GUIDANCE SHOWS A LINE OF HEAVIER PRECIPITATION
DEVELOPING FROM DUGWAY UP THROUGH SALT LAKE AND INTO SOUTHWEST
WYOMING THAT WILL PUSH TO THE EAST THROUGHOUT THE DAY. INSTABILITY
APPEARS TO BE SLIGHTLY BETTER TOMORROW AFTERNOON THAT COULD LEAD
TO SOME STRONGER CONVECTION THAT COULD PRODUCE SOME GUSTY WINDS
AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. SNOW LEVELS WILL ALSO DROP DOWN TO 6500 TO
7000 FEET AS H7 TEMPERATURES DROP CLOSER TO -5C. THIS WILL ALLOW
FOR SOME QUICK SLUSH UPS ON MOUNTAIN ROUTES, PRIMARILY ABOVE 8000
FEET. A BULK OF PRECIPITATION WILL PUSH OUT BY TUESDAY, BUT
DIURNAL SHOWERS WILL REMAIN ACROSS THE NORTHERN ZONE THROUGH
THURSDAY AS SHORTWAVES ROUND THE BASE OF THE TROUGH ACROSS
SOUTHERN CANADA.
AS COLDER AIR MOVES IN BEHIND THIS SECOND TROUGH, FREEZING
CONDITIONS WILL RETURN TO SOME UTAH VALLEYS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY
MORNING. TUESDAY MORNING WILL SEE THE WIDESPREAD FREEZING
CONDITIONS WITH MOST CENTRAL/SOUTHWESTERN, AND EASTERN VALLEYS
EXPERIENCING FREEZING CONDITIONS. SLIGHTLY WARMER TEMPERATURES ON
WEDNESDAY MORNING WILL LIMIT THE FREEZING TEMPERATURES TO AREAS
ACROSS SANPETE/SEVIER VALLEYS AND THE WESTERN UINTA BASIN.
DRIER AND WARMER CONDITIONS WILL RETURN BY THE END OF THE WEEK AND
INTO THE WEEKEND AS LOW AMPLITUDE RIDGE BUILDS ACROSS THE AREA.
AVIATION
KSLC..VFR CONDITIONS WITH SOUTH WINDS WILL PERSIST
THROUGH TONIGHT. THERE IS A 30% CHANCE SHOWERS IMPACT THE TERMINAL
DURING THE 10-15Z TIMEFRAME, HOWEVER REDUCTIONS INTO THE MVFR
CATEGORY ARE NOT EXPECTED. AFTER 15Z MONDAY WINDS WILL BECOME
NORTHERLY AND PERIODS OF RAIN WILL LOWER CIGS INTO THE MVFR
CATEGORY AT TIMES.
REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL
THROUGH TONIGHT ACROSS ALL TERMINALS. PERIODS OF RAIN WILL SPREAD
ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY MORNING, AND PERSIST INTO THE AFTERNOON
HOURS, REDUCING CONDITIONS INTO THE MVFR CATEGORY AT TIMES. KEVW
WILL SEE PERIODS OF SNOW REDUCING CONDITIONS INTO THE IFR
CATEGORY. CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGION WILL BEGIN TO IMPROVE AFTER
21Z MONDAY.
SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
UT...FREEZE WATCH FROM LATE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR
UTZ114-115-118>120-122.
WY...NONE.
PUBLIC...SEAMAN/MAHAN
AVIATION...SEAMAN
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA'S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY
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