179
FXUS65 KSLC 212157
AFDSLC
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
257 PM MST SUN DEC 21 2025
KEY MESSAGES
- TEMPERATURES ACROSS UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING WILL BE QUITE
MILD THROUGH AT LEAST TUESDAY, WITH HIGHS AVERAGING 20F ABOVE
SEASONAL NORMALS.
- A SERIES OF WEAK WEATHER DISTURBANCES WILL PASS THROUGH NORTHERN
UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING SUNDAY THROUGH EARLY MONDAY, BRINGING
LIGHT HIGH ELEVATION SNOW, PRIMARILY FOR AREAS NEAR THE
UTAH/IDAHO BORDER.
- WINDS WILL BE BREEZY AT TIMES THROUGH TUESDAY, PRIMARILY OVER
WESTERN UTAH, BEFORE BECOMING STRONGER WEDNESDAY INTO EARLY
FRIDAY WITH THE ARRIVAL OF ANOTHER WARM PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM.
- ANOTHER WARM STORM SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE AREA EARLY NEXT WEEK,
BRINGING MOUNTAIN SNOW AND VALLEY RAIN ACROSS UTAH.
DISCUSSION
SEEING CLOUDY AND VERY MILD CONDITIONS FOR THE
WINTER SOLSTICE ACROSS UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING THIS AFTERNOON,
WITH SOME LIGHT PRECIPITATION OVER NORTHERN UTAH, PRIMARILY
FOCUSED OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN WHERE LIGHT SNOW IS FALLING. THE
ASSOCIATED MOISTURE WILL GRADUALLY LIFT NORTHWARD TONIGHT, KEEPING
THE MAJORITY OF PRECIPITATION OVER IDAHO. STILL, SOME ADDITIONAL
LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED NEAR THE UTAH/IDAHO BORDER INTO MONDAY.
BREEZY CONDITIONS CONTINUE, PRIMARILY OVER NORTHERN UTAH, WHERE
WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY WIDESPREAD.
A DRYING TREND WILL CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY, WITH TODAY'S BREEZY
WINDS GRADUALLY DECREASING TO BEGIN THE SHORT WORK WEEK.
TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN MORE TYPICAL OF LATE OCTOBER THROUGH AT
LEAST TUESDAY, WITH MAXES AVERAGING 20F ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS.
CONFIDENCE IS HIGH THAT A PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE
CALIFORNIA COAST ON WEDNESDAY, RESULTING IN AN INCREASE IN
SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. THIS WILL BRING WIDESPREAD BREEZY
CONDITIONS, WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONGER WINDS OVER THE VALLEYS
OF WESTERN UTAH. LATEST GUIDANCE INDICATES AN APPROXIMATELY 50
PERCENT CHANCE OF SEEING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH FOR THE
WIND PRONE AREAS OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST UTAH, SOMETHING TO
MONITOR.
MOST GUIDANCE INDICATES THE PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL DRAW ANOTHER
ROUND OF WARM ATMOSPHERIC RIVER MOISTURE INTO THE AREA FROM THE
SOUTH BEGINNING WEDNESDAY NIGHT, WITH VALLEY RAIN AND MOUNTAIN
SNOW BECOMING WIDESPREAD FOR CHRISTMAS DAY. UNCERTAINTY REMAINS
WITH REGARD TO MOUNTAIN SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS THE AREA ALONG
WITH SOME DETAILS ON TIMING, WITH RELATIVELY LARGE SPREAD ON BOTH
WHEN THE PRECIPITATION BEGINS AND WHEN THE PRECIPITATION TAPERS
OFF ON FRIDAY. DRIER CONDITIONS ARE THEN MOST LIKELY FOR THE
UPCOMING WEEKEND BEFORE THE POTENTIAL FOR THE ATMOSPHERIC RIVER
HOSE TO RETURN DEVELOPS EARLY NEXT WEEK.
AVIATION...KSLC
ELEVATED SOUTHERLY WINDS WITH GUSTS IN EXCESS OF
26KTS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY MONDAY
MORNING. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY TAPER THEREAFTER, BECOMING
LIGHT BY LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON. OTHERWISE, CONDITIONS REMAIN DRY
THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD, THOUGH A PERSISTENT BKN TO OVC MID-LEVEL
CLOUD DECK CONTINUES INTO MONDAY MORNING.
REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING
STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE AT MOST REGIONAL TERMINALS INTO MONDAY MORNING,
WITH MOST SITES SEEING GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 20KTS THROUGH THIS PERIOD.
SCATTERED RAIN AND HIGH ELEVATION SNOW SHOWERS ONGOING NEAR THE ID
BORDER MAY IMPACT KLGU/KEVW AT TIMES THROUGH THIS EVENING, WITH
ANOTHER ROUND POSSIBLE MAINLY FOR KLGU MID-MONDAY MORNING. HOWEVER,
LITTLE IMPACT IS EXPECTED FROM THESE RAIN SHOWERS OTHER THAN
OCCASIONAL TERRAIN OBSCURATION.
SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
UT...NONE.
WY...NONE.
PUBLIC...TRAPHAGAN
AVIATION...WHITLAM
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA'S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY
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