637
FXUS65 KSLC 260352
AFDSLC
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
952 PM MDT SAT APR 25 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- AN ACTIVE PATTERN WILL BRING PERIODS OF VALLEY RAIN AND
ACCUMULATING MOUNTAIN SNOW ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH
MONDAY EVENING. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION WILL OCCUR NORTH OF
I-70/US-50.
- TEMPERATURES WILL FALL BELOW FREEZING TUESDAY MORNING IN THE
CACHE VALLEY, AS WELL AS THE SANPETE AND SEVIER VALLEYS, WESTERN
UINTA BASIN, AND SOUTHWEST UTAH.
DISCUSSION
AN UPPER LOW CURRENTLY CROSSING THE CENTRAL SIERRA
WILL EVOLVE INTO AN OPEN WAVE AS IT LIFTS ACROSS THE
CENTRAL/SOUTHERN GREAT BASIN TONIGHT BEFORE CROSSING THE FORECAST
AREA SUNDAY. AHEAD OF THIS WAVE PRECIPITATION ALOFT HAS SPREAD
ACROSS SOUTHERN UTAH THIS EVENING, AND IS GRADUALLY ERODING A DRY
SUB-CLOUD LAYER WITH EVAPORATIVE COOLING AIDING IN GUSTY SOUTH
WINDS ACROSS SOUTHERN UTAH.
AS LARGE SCALE ASCENT INCREASES OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS AND THIS
DRY LAYER ERODES, PRECIPITATION WILL BECOME FAIRLY WIDESPREAD
ACROSS SOUTHWEST UTAH OVERNIGHT, SPREADING INTO NORTHERN UTAH
BEFORE SUNRISE. THIS WAVE WILL LIFT THROUGH SOUTHERN UTAH SUNDAY
MORNING, WITH PRECIPITATION DIMINISHING MIDDAY AS THE TROUGH AXIS
PASSES. FURTHER NORTH, A DEFORMATION AXIS ASSOCIATED WITH THE
PASSING WAVE WILL RESULT IN A BROAD BAND OF PERSISTENT VALLEY
RAIN/MOUNTAIN SNOW ACROSS NORTHERN UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING
THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE DAY. WITH AMPLE MOISTURE AVAILABLE (PW
VALUES FORECAST AT OR ABOVE THE 95TH PERCENTILE FOR LATE APRIL)
MANY NORTHERN VALLEYS PARTICULARLY NORTH OF I-80 AS WELL AS THE
BENCHES OF THE SALT LAKE AND TOOELE VALLEYS WILL EXCEED 1" OF QPF
THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON. WHILE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN VALLEYS
ALONG/WEST OF HIGHWAY 89 CAN EXPECT UP TO .50". SNOW LEVELS WILL
REMAIN ABOVE 7000 FEET THROUGH SUNDAY, AND ALTHOUGH QPF VALUES IN
THE 1-1.5" RANGE WILL BE COMMON ACROSS THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS,
LATE APRIL SUN ANGLE COUPLED WITH WARM SURFACE TEMPS WILL
SIGNIFICANTLY LIMIT IMPACT, THUS NO WINTER HEADLINES HAVE BEEN
ISSUED.
A BRIEF LULL IN PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHERN AND
CENTRAL UTAH SUNDAY EVENING, BEFORE A SECONDARY TROUGH AXIS
SWINGS THROUGH THE AREA LATE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY BRINGING
ANOTHER ROUND OF VALLEY RAIN/MOUNTAIN SNOW. THIS COLDER SYSTEM
WILL DROP SNOW LEVELS CLOSE TO 6500 FEET MONDAY. WITH COLDER AIR
FILTERING INTO THE REGION, FREEZING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
TUESDAY MORNING ACROSS NORTHERN VALLEYS AWAY FROM THE WASATCH
FRONT AS WELL AS ACROSS EASTERN AND CENTRAL UTAH FROM CEDAR CITY
UP THROUGH THE WESTERN UINTA BASIN.
AVIATION
KSLC..CIGS ABOVE 10KFT WILL GRADUALLY LOWER OVERNIGHT,
FALLING INTO THE 3500-5000 FT BY 12Z. A 30% CHANCE OF RAIN WILL
EXIST BETWEEN 08-12Z, WITH RAIN PREDOMINANT RAIN FOLLOWING THROUGH
MUCH OF THE DAY SUNDAY. HEAVIER PERIODS OF RAIN WILL RESULT IN
MVFR CIGS/VIS AT TIMES SUNDAY. SOUTH WINDS WILL PREVAIL OVERNIGHT,
GUSTING TO NEAR 20 KTS LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING BEFORE
SWITCHING TO THE NORTHWEST EARLY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. A GRADUAL
IMPROVEMENT IN CIGS/VIS CAN BE EXPECTED AFTER 21Z SUNDAY.
REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING
WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION
WITH AREAS OF MVFR CIGS/VIS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA LATE
TONIGHT THROUGH MUCH OF SUNDAY. HEAVIER AREAS OF RAIN,
PARTICULARLY NORTH OF I-80, MAY RESULT IN IFR CIGS/VIS AT TIMES.
A GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT IN CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED AT SOUTHERN
UTAH TERMINALS BY EARLY SUNDAY AFTERNOON, WITH CONDITIONS
IMPROVING ACROSS NORTHERN TERMINALS LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
UT...NONE.
WY...NONE.
SEAMAN
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA'S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY
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