500
FXUS65 KSLC 220343
AFDSLC
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
943 PM MDT SAT MAR 21 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- A DRY COLD FRONT WILL BRING A BRIEF COOLING TREND SUNDAY TO
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL UTAH. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR RECORD
LEVELS ACROSS SOUTHERN UTAH.
- NEAR RECORD TEMPERATURES WILL RETURN TO NORTHERN AND CENTRAL
UTAH TUESDAY.
- ANOTHER DRY COLD FRONT WILL CROSS MUCH OF THE STATE THURSDAY,
WITH TEMPERATURES NORTH OF CEDAR CITY FALLING TO AROUND 5 TO 10
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. AREAS SOUTH OF CEDAR CITY WILL COOL 1 TO
4 DEGREES OR SO.
- TEMPERATURES WILL WARM ONCE AGAIN TO 10 TO 20 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL NEXT WEEKEND.
- GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW LESS THAN A 5% CHANCE OF MEASURABLE
PRECIPITATION THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY ACROSS UTAH AND UINTA
COUNTY, WY.
DISCUSSION
EVENING UPPER AIR AND SATELLITE ANALYSIS INDICATES
THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE RESPONSIBLE FOR BREAKING ALL TIME MONTHLY
RECORDS ACROSS THE REGION FOR MARCH, HAS FLATTENED IN RESPONSE TO
AN APPROACHING SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND SOUTHWARD SHIFTING POLAR JET.
THE ASSOCIATED DRY COLD FRONT WILL SHIFT ACROSS NORTHERN AND
CENTRAL UTAH SUNDAY, BRINGING COOLER TEMPERATURES TO THESE
LOCATIONS...THOUGH STILL REMAINING AROUND 10 DEGREES OR SO ABOVE
NORMAL. SOUTHERN UTAH WILL REMAIN WITHIN 5 DEGREES OF SATURDAY'S
TEMPERATURES, ESPECIALLY FOR THE LOWER ELEVATIONS NEAR THE ARIZONA
BORDER.
THE UPPER RIDGE WILL AMPLIFY NORTHWARD AGAIN MONDAY...WITH
TEMPERATURES INCREASING AROUND 10 DEGREES OVER SUNDAY'S HIGHS FOR
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL UTAH. BY TUESDAY, TEMPERATURES WILL ONCE
AGAIN BE APPROACHING NEAR RECORD TO RECORD LEVELS STATE-WIDE. THIS
TREND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL FLATTEN THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE
THURSDAY AND BRING A DRY COLD FRONT THROUGH THE REGION ONCE AGAIN.
THIS WILL BRING ANOTHER PERIOD OF COOLER TEMPERATURES TO NORTHERN
AND CENTRAL UTAH (THOUGH STILL AROUND 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL),
WITH THE ARIZONA/UTAH BORDER REGION REMAINING WITHIN 5 DEGREES OF
THE HOT TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY.
AGAIN THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE REBOUNDS FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY AND
AGAIN, TEMPERATURES WILL INCREASE TO AROUND 10 TO 20 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL BY SATURDAY.
FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR PRECIPITATION CHANCES TO IMPROVE...AROUND 40
PERCENT OF ENSEMBLE MEMBERS ARE SUGGESTING TROUGHING TO DEVELOP
ACROSS THE WEST AS EARLY AS SUNDAY THE 29TH TO MONDAY THE 30TH.
CURRENT PROBABILITY OF MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION INCREASES IN THIS
TIME PERIOD TO AROUND 40-50% FOR THE MOUNTAINS, 30% OR SO FOR THE
VALLEYS. SOMETHING TO WATCH FOR AND SEE WHICH DIRECTION THE
ENSEMBLE MEMBERS SHIFT TO...THE 60% THAT ARE EITHER MAINTAINING
STRONG RIDGING...OR KEEPING THE TROUGH OFFSHORE...OR THE 40% WITH
MEAN TROUGHING ACROSS THE WEST.
AVIATION...KSLC
NORTHERLY WILL LIKELY REMAIN IN PLACE INTO
SUNDAY EVENING DUE TO A COLD FRONT. HOWEVER, BRIEFLY VARIABLE TO
LIGHT SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING THROUGH AROUND
05-06Z AHEAD OF THE FRONT. OTHERWISE, VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL
WITH GENERALLY HIGH CLOUDS.
REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING
A COLD FRONT WILL FAVOR
LARGELY NORTHERLY WINDS ACROSS NORTHERN UTAH TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY
AND IN SOUTHERN UTAH AFTER AROUND 10Z. THESE WINDS WILL GENERALLY
REMAIN LIGHT, INCREASING A BIT FOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON. OTHERWISE,
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL WITH GENERALLY HIGH CLOUDS.
SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
UT...NONE.
WY...NONE.
PUBLIC...
AVIATION...
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA'S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY
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