681
FXUS65 KSLC 232252
AFDSLC
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
352 PM MST TUE DEC 23 2025
KEY MESSAGES
- RECORD WARM TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY.
- WIND ADVISORIES FOR WESTERN AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHWESTERN UTAH
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY FOR GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH.
- 6 TO 12 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS
AND WESTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS ABOVE 9000 FEET WEDNESDAY INTO LATE
THURSDAY.
- MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WILL OCCUR ACROSS SOUTHERN UTAH BELOW 8500
FEET WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. EXPECT ENHANCED RUNOFF ACROSS
THIS AREA, WITH ALL STREAMS, SLOT CANYONS, AND OTHER WATERWAYS
RUNNING HIGH.
- A COLD FRONT FRIDAY EVENING WILL HELP TO LOWER SNOW LEVELS, WITH
A SLIGHT (25%) CHANCE OF SNOW FALLING TO VALLEY FLOORS BY
SATURDAY MORNING.
DISCUSSION
RECORD WARM TEMPERATURES CONTINUE ACROSS MOST OF THE
WESTERN CONUS, INCLUDING UTAH. BOTH RECORD WARM DAYTIME HIGHS AND
NIGHTTIME LOWS HAVE BEEN SET MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE PAST WEEK.
THIS TREND WILL LIKELY CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK AS
WARM SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL PERSIST AHEAD OF A STORM THAT IS EXPECTED
TO ARRIVE WEDNESDAY. THIS FIRST STORM WILL BE WARM AND WET WITH
VERY HIGH SNOW LEVELS. A COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE LATE FRIDAY THAT
WILL HELP DRAG SNOW LEVELS DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY. THEN WE BEGIN TO
DRY THINGS OUT BY SUNDAY WITH DRY CONDITIONS REMAINING ALONG WITH
TEMPERATURES STARTING TO CREEP BACK UP THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT
WEEK.
STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS HAVE AIDED IN THE RECORD WARM HIGH AND LOW
TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA. THESE SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE
IN MAGNITUDE, PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE WESTERN AND SOUTHWESTERN
PORTIONS OF UTAH, ON WEDNESDAY AND PERSIST THROUGH FRIDAY. THIS
HAS PROMPTED THE ISSUANCE OF WIND ADVISORIES FOR THESE AREAS FOR
WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WITH ISOLATED GUSTS TO 60 MPH ACROSS AREAS
THAT ARE PRONE TO SOUTHERLY DOWNSLOPING WINDS.
A LANDFALLING ATMOSPHERIC RIVER WILL ADVECT MOISTURE INTO THE
GREAT BASIN ON CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS DAY RESULTING IN
WIDESPREAD RAINFALL ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA. AREAS THAT DO
WELL IN SOUTHERLY UPSLOPE FLOW WILL SEE ENHANCED QPF TOTALS, SUCH
AS ZION AND THE SOUTHERN FACING ASPECTS OF THE PINE VALLEY
MOUNTAINS. GIVEN THE PROLONGED DURATION AND HEAVY PRECIPITATION
RATES, EXPECT RIVERS, CREEKS, STREAMS, NORMALLY DRY WASHES, AND
SLOT CANYONS TO HAVE HIGHER THAN NORMAL FLOWS ACROSS MUCH OF
SOUTHWESTERN UTAH.
GIVEN THE STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS THAT WILL BE IN TANDEM WITH THE
MOISTURE, SOME AREAS THAT DON'T DO WELL IN SOUTHERLY FLOW, SUCH AS
CEDAR CITY AND MUCH OF THE WASATCH FRONT MAY NOT SEE MUCH IN THE
WAY OF MOISTURE WITH THIS CHRISTMAS STORM AS DOWNSLOPING WILL
PREVENT A LOT OF MOISTURE FROM MAKING IT TO THE SURFACE.
ADDITIONALLY, SNOW LEVELS WILL BE VERY HIGH FOR THIS TIME OF
YEAR. THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THE STORM SNOW LEVELS WILL RANGE
BETWEEN 8,500 FEET TO 10,000 FEET. THIS WILL CONFINE MOST OF THE
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO AREAS ABOVE 9,000 FEET WITH THE BEST
ACCUMULATIONS ABOVE 10,000 FEET. THEREFORE, SUBSTANTIAL SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE CONFINED TO THE UINTAS AND THE SOUTHERN
MOUNTAINS WITH THIS FIRST ROUND OF MOISTURE.
A SECOND ROUND OF PRECIPITATION WILL ACCOMPANY A COLD FRONT LATE
FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. THIS ROUND WILL HAVE MUCH COLDER AIR ALOFT
(H7 ~-6 TO -10C) BEHIND THE COLD FRONT THAT WILL HELP TO BRING
SNOW LEVELS MUCH LOWER, AND IN SOME AREAS SNOW LEVELS MAY APPROACH
VALLEY FLOORS. ADDITIONALLY, NORTHWESTERLY FLOW BEHIND THE FRONT
WILL HELP TO AID IN MORE SNOW ACROSS AREAS THAT DO WELL IN THIS
FLOW REGIME, SUCH AS THE UPPER COTTONWOOD CANYONS.
THE AIRMASS BEHIND THIS FRONT WILL BRING TEMPERATURES BACK TO NEAR
NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR, BUT THOSE WILL BE SHORT-LIVED AS
RIDGING STARTS TO BUILD BACK IN FROM THE WEST. THIS WILL KEEP
CONDITIONS MOSTLY DRY SUNDAY THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK WITH
TEMPERATURES REBOUNDING BACK ABOVE NORMAL.
AVIATION...KSLC
SOUTHERLY WINDS AROUND 8-12KTS WILL CONTINUE
THROUGH THE EVENING, WITH A 30% CHANCE OF GUSTING ABOVE 20KTS AFTER
03Z. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL WITH BKN-OVC HIGH CLOUDS BRIEFLY
LOWERING TO AROUND 7000-9000FT LATE THIS EVENING.
REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING
WINDS AT NORTHERN TERMINALS
WILL DIMINISH THIS EVENING, WITH A 30% CHANCE OF BECOMING GUSTY SOUTH
IN THE SL VALLEY AFTER 03Z. SOUTHERN TERMINALS WILL SEE VICINITY
SHOWERS INCREASING AFTER 00Z, WITH CONTINUED ELEVATED WINDS LIKELY
AT CDC. THESE SHOWERS MAY BRING LOWER CIGS AROUND 3000FT TO KCDC AND
KSGU, AND MAY BRIEFLY ENHANCE SOUTHERLY WIND GUSTS (10% CHANCE OF
EXCEEDING 40KTS).
SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
UT...WIND ADVISORY FROM 11 AM WEDNESDAY TO 5 PM MST FRIDAY FOR UTZ101-
102-115-122.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 11 AM WEDNESDAY TO 11 PM MST
THURSDAY FOR UTZ112.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 5 AM WEDNESDAY TO 11 PM MST
THURSDAY FOR UTZ125.
WY...NONE.
PUBLIC...MAHAN
AVIATION...VERZELLA
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA'S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY
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