154
FXUS65 KSLC 250447
AFDSLC
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
1047 PM MDT FRI APR 24 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- FREEZES ARE EXPECTED AGAIN TONIGHT IN THE SANPETE VALLEY AND
EASTERN BOX ELDER COUNTY.
- AN ACTIVE PATTERN WILL BRING THE THREAT OF 6+ INCHES OF SNOW TO
THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF UTAH SATURDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY TUESDAY
MORNING.
- WIDESPREAD VALLEY RAIN IS EXPECTED WITH THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS
NORTH OF I-70 THROUGH MONDAY EVENING.
- ADDITIONAL FREEZES MAY IMPACT THE SANPETE AND SEVIER VALLEYS AND
SOUTHWEST UTAH MONDAY NIGHT.
DISCUSSION
A CLOSED LOW REMAINS IN PLACE OVER SOUTHERN
SASKATCHEWAN WHILE WEAK SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCES CONTINUE TO ROTATE
AROUND IT. ONE SUCH DISTURBANCE IS CURRENTLY RIPPLING THROUGH
SOUTHEAST ID INTO WESTERN WY. THIS HAS RESULTED IN A SHALLOW COLD
FRONT WHICH HAS MADE ITS WAY THROUGH THE NORTHERN HALF OF UTAH. THIS
FRONT WILL WEAKEN AND PUSH JUST A BIT FARTHER SOUTH THROUGH THE
NIGHT. WITH SKIES TRENDING CLEAR ACROSS NORTHERN UTAH, EXPECT
EXCELLENT RADIATIVE COOLING TO BRING FREEZING TEMPERATURES TO
EASTERN BOX ELDER COUNTY TONIGHT. A FREEZE IS ALSO EXPECTED IN THE
SANPETE VALLEY, WITH MORE PATCHY FREEZING CONDITIONS IN SOUTHWEST
UTAH, EVEN THOUGH SOME CLOUD COVER WILL PERSIST LATE INTO THE NIGHT.
ON SATURDAY, ANOTHER, STRONGER, SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL ROTATE AROUND
THE AFOREMENTIONED LOW AND CARVE INTO THE PACNW. MEANWHILE, ANOTHER
STORM SYSTEM WILL APPROACH CA FROM THE PACIFIC. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR
INCREASING SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW OVER UTAH. SOME MOISTURE WILL START TO
SPREAD INTO THE AREA AND BRING SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS TO THE SPINE OF
UTAH FOR THE AFTERNOON. THEREAFTER, A MORE ANOMALOUS PLUME OF
MOISTURE WILL SPREAD INTO THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT AS THE PACIFIC
TROUGH APPROACHES. WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION WILL BE LIKELY ACROSS
THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY, WITH THE GREATEST AMOUNTS
EXPECTED OVER THE WASATCH FRONT AND WASATCH MOUNTAINS. SNOW LEVELS
WILL BE HIGH, GENERALLY AROUND 7-8 KFT.
AS THIS TROUGH EXITS THE AREA, THE TROUGH OVER THE PACNW WILL FOLLOW
QUICKLY ON ITS HEELS, BRINGING ANOTHER ROUND OF WIDESPREAD
PRECIPITATION TO THE AREA ON MONDAY. NOT MUCH OF A BREAK IN
PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED BETWEEN THE TWO STORMS. SNOW LEVELS WILL
BE A BIT LOWER WITH THIS SECOND STORM, IN THE 6.5-7.5 KFT RANGE.
THE TWO STORMS COMBINED WILL BRING SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION TO
PORTIONS OF NORTHERN UTAH. THERE IS A 40-70% CHANCE OF GREATER THAN
1 INCH OF WATER ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL WASATCH FRONT AND 40-
75% CHANCE OF GREATER THAN 2 INCHES IN THE WASATCH MOUNTAINS. MOST
OTHER VALLEYS HAVE A 40-70% CHANCE OF 0.5 INCHES WHILE OTHER
MOUNTAINS HAVE A 40-70% CHANCE OF 1 INCH. GIVEN THAT SNOW LEVELS AND
SNOW DENSITIES REMAIN SOMEWHAT HIGH, SNOW AMOUNTS WILL BE MODERATED
A BIT, WITH GENERALLY 6-12 INCHES ON THE HIGHER RIDGELINES WITH
LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS IN THE UPPER COTTONWOODS.
MODELS INDICATE ANOTHER SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCE GRAZING THE AREA WHICH
SHOULD BRING ADDITIONAL, GENERALLY LIGHT, PRECIPITATION TO MAINLY
NORTHERN UTAH FOR TUESDAY. THEREAFTER, UNCERTAINTY INCREASES WITH
THE EVOLUTION OF THE NEXT UPSTREAM STORM SYSTEM. WHILE THERE IS
POTENTIAL FOR ACTIVE WEATHER TO CONTINUE INTO LATE WEEK, THE DETAILS
HAVE YET TO REALLY COME TOGETHER AT THIS TIME.
AVIATION...KSLC
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST FOR THE KSLC
TERMINAL THROUGH THE PERIOD. DRY AND STABLE CONDITIONS WILL
CONTINUE WITH A FEW HIGH CLOUDS. NORTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE
TONIGHT WITH A DELAYED SOUTHERLY SHIFT CLOSER TO 11-12Z. WINDS
WILL THEN LIKELY SHIFT BACK TO NORTHWEST SATURDAY BY 16-17Z WHILE
HIGH CLOUDS INCREASE OVER THE AREA.
REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST
FOR THE ENTIRE AIRSPACE THROUGH THE PERIOD. DRY AND STABLE
CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE WITH PATCHY MID AND HIGH CLOUDS TONIGHT.
THESE CLOUDS WILL INCREASE AGAIN BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. WINDS
WILL BE DIURNAL AND RELATIVELY LIGHT FOR MOST TERMINALS, EXCEPT
NORTHERN UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING TERMINALS WHICH WILL REMAIN
NORTHERLY AND OCCASIONALLY GUSTY THROUGH LATE TONIGHT.
SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
UT...FREEZE WARNING UNTIL 9 AM MDT SATURDAY FOR UTZ103-118.
WY...NONE.
CHENG
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA'S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY
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