246
FXUS65 KSLC 140838
AFDSLC
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
238 AM MDT THU MAY 14 2026
UPDATE
UPDATED KEY MESSAGES AND AVIATION AND FIRE WEATHER
DISCUSSIONS BASED ON CURRENT TRENDS AND UPDATED GUIDANCE. PREVIOUS
DISCUSSION FOLLOWS.
KEY MESSAGES
- DRY AND MILD WESTERLY FLOW WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE REGION
THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
- LOCALLY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS MAY RETURN TO PORTIONS
OF SOUTHERN UTAH SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
- A COLD, EARLY SPRING-LIKE SYSTEM WILL BRING TEMPERATURES AROUND
10 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL SUNDAY INTO MONDAY AS WELL AS
ACCUMULATING NORTHERN MOUNTAIN SNOW.
- FREEZE CONDITIONS WILL IMPACT MOST UTAH VALLEYS OUTSIDE THE
WASATCH FRONT MONDAY AND TUESDAY MORNINGS. SOME AREAS MAY SEE
ANOTHER HARD FREEZE INCLUDING THE CACHE VALLEY, WASATCH BACK,
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST UTAH AND THE SANPETE VALLEY.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 945 PM WEDNESDAY MAY 13, 2026
A STRONG COLD FRONT IS CURRENTLY SWEEPING THROUGH
NORTHERN UTAH, AND WILL PROGRESS THROUGH THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
WASATCH FRONT THROUGH 10 PM. OCCASIONAL GUSTS APPROACHING 60 MPH
HAVE BEEN NOTED IN THE WAKE OF THIS FRONT ACROSS THE SALT FLATS,
AND THESE WINDS WILL LIKELY PERSIST IN THE LEE OF THE RAFT RIVERS
INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS OWING TO STRONG LOW LEVEL COLD ADVECTION
AND STRONG PRESSURE RISES. AS THIS FRONT PUSHES INTO UTAH COUNTY,
ANTICIPATE DOWNSLOPE-PRONE AREAS IN THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE
COUNTY TO SEE ENHANCED WINDS AS WELL, AND HAVE ISSUED A WIND
ADVISORY FOR THIS AREA INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AS WELL.
ADDITIONALLY, WEBCAMS, SATELLITE AND SURFACE OBS ALL SHOW
CONSIDERABLE DUST FOLLOWING THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY, WHICH IS
REDUCING VISIBILITY TO LESS THAN 3SM AT TIMES. WITH COOLER AIR
SPREADING INTO THE REGION, DAYTIME TEMPERATURES THURSDAY WILL
TREND AS MUCH AS 15 DEGREES COOLER ACROSS NORTHERN UTAH, AND 5-10
DEGREES COOLER ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN UTAH. DESPITE THIS,
THESE TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN WELL ABOVE NORMAL FOR MID MAY.
BEHIND THIS SYSTEM, ZONAL FLOW WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA, WITH
LARGELY DRY, QUIESCENT CONDITIONS EXPECTED THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.
ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM IS LIKELY TO MOVE THROUGH THIS WEEKEND,
LIKELY LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY, WHICH WILL BRING COOLER AND
WETTER CONDITIONS ONCE AGAIN. WHILE THERE IS STILL PLENTY OF
UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THIS SYSTEM, MODELS ARE GENERALLY IN FAVOR
OF A PRETTY STOUT COLD FRONT, WITH CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS POTENTIALLY BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, AS WELL AS
FREEZING TEMPERATURES FOR SOME VALLEYS BY MONDAY MORNING.
AVIATION...KSLC
UNDER VFR CONDITIONS, NORTHWEST WINDS AROUND
10 KTS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THURSDAY, WITH A RETURN TO SE WINDS
BETWEEN ~03-05Z FRI.
REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING
GENERALLY VFR CONDITIONS
WILL PREVAIL WITH SKIES BECOMING MOSTLY CLEAR TO CLEAR THROUGH
THE NIGHT. AT SOUTHERN TERMINALS THE FRONT WILL START WASHING OUT
AS IT PROGRESSES, BRINGING A LESS SHARP WIND SHIFT AND MUCH MORE
MODEST GUSTS, IF ANY. CLEARING CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS
ALL TERMINALS FOR THURSDAY.
FIRE WEATHER
A DRY COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO CROSS UTAH
THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. BEHIND THIS COLD FRONT, A COOLER,
MORE STABLE AIRMASS WILL BUILD INTO THE NORTHERN HALF OF UTAH,
WITH LESS COOLING SOUTH OF I-70. A GRADUAL WARMING TREND WILL
BRING TEMPERATURES BACK TO NEAR TO AROUND 5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL
ACROSS THE REGION FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL
CROSS THE REGION LATER SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. AHEAD OF THIS COLD
FRONT, BREEZY SOUTHERLY WINDS MAY COMBINE WITH MINIMUM HUMIDITIES
AT OR BELOW 15% TO BRING LOCALLY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
TO PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN UTAH WHERE FUELS ARE APPROACHING CRITICAL
LEVELS.
A COOL SEASON SYSTEM WILL CROSS MUCH OF THE REGION SUNDAY INTO
MONDAY, BRINGING TEMPERATURES AROUND 10 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW
NORMAL, AS WELL AS SNOW LEVELS AS LOW AS 5000 FEET BY MONDAY
MORNING. THERE IS AN INCREASING LIKELIHOOD OF UP TO 6 INCHES OF
SNOW ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS, WITH SIGNIFICANTLY LESS FOR
THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS. THIS COOL PATTERN WON'T LAST
LONG, HOWEVER, AS A TREND TOWARD NEAR TO ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES
AND DRIER CONDITIONS IS EXPECTED TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
UT...NONE.
WY...NONE.
KRUSE/SEAMAN/CUNNINGHAM
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA'S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY
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