218
FXUS65 KSLC 240428
AFDSLC
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
1028 PM MDT THU APR 23 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- FREEZES WILL IMPACT CENTRAL THROUGH SOUTHWEST UTAH VALLEYS AND
EASTERN BOX ELDER COUNTY TONIGHT. FREEZES ARE EXPECTED AGAIN
FRIDAY NIGHT 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 MONDAY.
- ADDITIONAL FREEZES MAY IMPACT THE SANPETE AND SEVIER VALLEYS AND
SOUTHWEST UTAH SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY NIGHT.
DISCUSSION
A DRIER NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT IS IN PLACE OVER UTAH
THIS EVENING. CLOUDS FROM EARLIER TODAY HAVE MOSTLY CLEARED OUT,
AND WITH A COOL AIRMASS IN PLACE, EXCELLENT RADIATIVE COOLING
WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF FREEZING TEMPERATURES TO THE CENTRAL
THROUGH SOUTHWEST UTAH VALLEYS, ALONG WITH EASTERN BOX ELDER
COUNTY.
A SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCE ROTATING AROUND A NEARLY STATIONARY CLOSED
LOW OVER SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN WILL DIVE SOUTH TOWARDS THE ID/UT
BORDER BEFORE TURNING EAST ON FRIDAY. WITH THE UPPER SUPPORT
REMAINING NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA, VERY LITTLE IF ANY
PRECIPITATION WILL MAKE IT INTO UTAH. HOWEVER, A SHALLOW COLD FRONT
WILL PUSH INTO NORTHERN UTAH FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AS CLOUDS
THIN OUT BEHIND IT, FREEZING TEMPERATURES LOOK LIKE A GOOD
POSSIBILITY AGAIN ACROSS EASTERN BOX ELDER COUNTY WHILE
CENTRAL/SOUTHERN VALLEYS TREND A BIT WARMER, ALTHOUGH THE SANPETE
VALLEY WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO SEE FREEZING TEMPERATURES.
ON SATURDAY, A SLIGHTLY WARMER SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL
OVERSPREAD THE AREA AHEAD OF A SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING INTO THE
CENTRAL CA COAST. ISOLATED CONVECTION MAY DEVELOP OVER THE SPINE OF
UTAH SATURDAY AFTERNOON, OTHERWISE PRECIPITATION WILL WAIT UNTIL
SATURDAY NIGHT TO FILL IN. AN ANOMALOUS MOISTURE PLUME ASSOCIATED
WITH THIS TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO BRING WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION TO
THE FORECAST AREA SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY. BEHIND IT, ANOTHER
SHORTWAVE TROUGH ROTATING AROUND THE SASKATCHEWAN LOW WILL CARVE
SOUTH ALONG THE WEST COAST BEFORE CROSSING THE GREAT BASIN ON
MONDAY. THIS TROUGH IS ALSO EXPECTED TO BRING FAIRLY WIDESPREAD
PRECIPITATION TO THE AREA FOR MONDAY, WITH VERY LITTLE BREAK BETWEEN
THE TWO SYSTEM.
WHILE SOME DETAILS STILL REMAIN TO BE WORKED OUT, THE EVOLUTION OF
THE LARGE-SCALE PATTERN SEEMS TO BE COMING TOGETHER THROUGH EARLY
NEXT WEEK. STILL, THERE REMAINS QUITE A BIT OF VARIABILITY IN THE
QPF, ALTHOUGH THE LARGEST PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS ARE STILL
EXPECTED TO BE FOCUSED OVER THE NORTHERN HALF OF UTAH. THE 25TH
PERCENTILE OF PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS RANGE FROM 0.3-0.6 INCHES IN
THE NORTHERN VALLEYS AND 0.4 TO 1.25 INCHES ACROSS THE NORTHERN
MOUNTAINS, WHILE THE 75TH PERCENTILE AMOUNTS ARE DOUBLE THAT.
HOWEVER, WITH THE AIRMASS BEING A BIT MILDER, SNOW LEVELS WILL
REMAIN BETWEEN 7500-8000 FT WITH THE FIRST STORM, FALLING TO
BETWEEN 6500-7000 FT WITH THE SECOND. THE HIGH SNOW LEVELS,
COMBINED WITH SNOW DENSITIES THAT SHOULD GENERALLY BE HIGHER THAN
10%, SHOULD HELP MODERATE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS A BIT. MOST
MOUNTAINS ARE CURRENTLY EXPECTED TO SEE AROUND 6-10 INCHES OF SNOW
ALONG THE HIGHER RIDGELINES, WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS IN THE UPPER
COTTONWOODS, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE LIKELY VERY OVERDONE THERE IN THE
NBM (CURRENTLY 18-33 INCHES FOR THE 25TH-75TH PERCENTILE RANGE).
BEYOND MONDAY, MODEL SPREAD INCREASES. HOWEVER, UPSTREAM ENERGY
WILL PERSIST, ALLOWING FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR UNSETTLED WEATHER TO
CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.
AVIATION...KSLC
THE SLC TERMINAL WILL SEE VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH
THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH SOME SCATTERED CLOUDS. SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE
EXPECTED TO SHIFT TO THE NORTHWEST BETWEEN 17Z AND 19Z TOMORROW.
REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING
THE AIRSPACE WILL SEE VFR
CONDITIONS THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH SOME SCATTERED CLOUDS,
MOST NUMEROUS NEAR THE UTAH/IDAHO BORDER. WINDS WILL BE GENERALLY
LIGHT AND TERRAIN DRIVEN ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT.
SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
UT...FREEZE WARNING UNTIL 9 AM MDT FRIDAY FOR UTZ103-114>116-118>120-
122.
FREEZE WARNING FROM 10 PM FRIDAY TO 9 AM MDT SATURDAY FOR UTZ103-
118.
WY...NONE.
CHENG/TRAPHAGAN
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA'S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY
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