279
FXUS65 KSLC 181739
AFDSLC
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
1139 AM MDT MON MAY 18 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- PRECIPITATION FROM A PACIFIC NORTHWEST STORM SYSTEM WILL
CONTINUE TO TAPER OFF TODAY. IN ITS WAKE, TEMPERATURES WILL BE
MORE TYPICAL OF EARLY MARCH THAN MID-MAY, WITH HIGHS UP TO 20F
BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS.
- FREEZE CONDITIONS WILL IMPACT MANY UTAH VALLEYS OUTSIDE OF THE
WASATCH FRONT AGAIN TUESDAY MORNING. AREAS THAT WILL SEE THE
GREATEST IMPACTS INCLUDE WEST CENTRAL UTAH, SOUTHWEST UTAH, THE
WASATCH BACK, CACHE VALLEY, THE WESTERN UINTA BASIN, AND THE
SANPETE AND SEVIER VALLEYS.
- TEMPERATURES WILL GRADUALLY WARM FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK,
REACHING VALUES UP TO 10F ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS BY SATURDAY.
CONDITIONS WILL BE GENERALLY DRY, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF
NORTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA ON THURSDAY.
DISCUSSION
THE COLD UPPER TROUGH THAT HAS BEEN MOVING ACROSS
UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING IS MAKING ITS WAY INTO COLORADO THIS
MORNING. PRECIPITATION OVER THE AREA HAS MOSTLY DIMINISHED, WITH
THE EXCEPTION OF SOUTHWEST WYOMING AND THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN
UTAH. PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO MOSTLY END BY THE AFTERNOON
HOURS, WITH ONE LAST TRAILING WAVE KEEPING ENOUGH LINGERING
MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY IN PLACE FOR A FEW SHOWERS OVER THE
HIGHER TERRAIN OF NORTHERN UTAH. HIGH TEMPERATURES TODAY WILL BE
UP TO 20F BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS, MAKING IT FEEL A LOT MORE LIKE
EARLY MARCH THAN MID-MAY.
THE AREA SAW PATCHES OF BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES ACROSS MANY
VALLEYS, PARTICULARLY FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL UTAH. WITH CLOUDS
CLEARING OUT FOR TONIGHT, LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE A BIT COLDER
THAN YESTERDAY, RESULTING IN MORE WIDESPREAD FREEZE CONDITIONS.
HAVE EXPANDED THE FREEZE WARNING FOR TOMORROW MORNING INTO CASTLE
COUNTRY, WITH THE THREAT OTHERWISE BEING COVERED WELL.
CONDITIONS WILL BE GENERALLY DRY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK,
WITH TEMPERATURES CREEPING UPWARD, EVENTUALLY TO VALUES UP TO 10F
ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS BY THE WEEKEND. THAT BEING SAID, THE
PACIFIC RIDGE WILL REMAIN CENTERED OFFSHORE, AND ITS POSITION WILL
PERIODICALLY ALLOW WEAK TROUGHS TO MOVE OVER THE TOP OF THE RIDGE
INTO UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING. THE MOST NOTABLE OF THESE WILL BE
ON THURSDAY, AND THIS FEATURE HAS TRENDED STRONGER IN TODAY'S
SUITE OF GUIDANCE. THUS PRECIPITATION, GENERALLY LIGHT, IS NOW
LOOKING INCREASING LIKELY FOR AT LEAST NORTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF
THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE DAY THURSDAY, WITH THE TROUGH CURBING
WARMING FOR THAT DAY.
BY THE WEEKEND, THE PACIFIC RIDGE FINALLY HAS A GOOD CHANCE OF
TRACKING EASTWARD, EVENTUALLY OVERHEARD, WHICH IS WHY CONDITIONS
WILL BE MOST DRY AND MILD DURING THAT TIME PER THE LATEST
FORECAST.
AVIATION...KSLC
AREAS OF RAIN SHOWERS AND LOW-BASED CLOUDS
WILL PREVAIL OVER THE KSLC TERMINAL THROUGH THE EARLY TO MID-
AFTERNOON HOURS BEFORE DRYING OUT THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE
DAY. THOUGH VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL, CIGS WILL REMAIN AT, OR
BELOW, 5KFT AGL, OBSCURING LOCAL TOPOGRAPHY. THERE IS ALSO AROUND
A 30% CHANCE THAT THESE SHOWERS ARE HEAVY ENOUGH TO REDUCE SURFACE
VISIBILITY TO 5SM OR LESS. OTHERWISE, EXPECT PERSISTENT NORTH TO
NORTHWEST WINDS THROUGH AT LEAST 22-23Z, WITH AROUND A 30-40%
CHANCE OF BECOMING LIGHT SOUTHERLY OR VARIABLE THEREAFTER.
REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING
RAIN/ SNOW SHOWERS WILL
CONTINUE ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE AREA THROUGH THE AFTERNOON
HOURS, BRINGING CONTINUED MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION AND AREAS OF IFR TO
LIFR CONDITIONS IN SNOWFALL IN SOUTHWEST WYOMING. SKIES WILL
GRADUALLY CLEAR, ESPECIALLY ALONG AND WEST OF THE I-15 CORRIDOR,
THROUGH THE MID TO LATE-AFTERNOON HOURS. EXPECT BREEZY NORTH TO
NORTHWEST WINDS ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS,
RETURNING TO LIGHT TERRAIN DRIVEN FLOWS AFTER SUNSET.
FIRE WEATHER
LINGERING SHOWERS FROM THE UNSEASONABLY COLD
SYSTEM THAT MOVED ACROSS THE STATE YESTERDAY INTO THIS MORNING
WILL CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON, WITH GENERALLY DRY CONDITIONS
PREVAILING FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE UPCOMING WEEK. TEMPERATURES
WILL GRADUALLY WARM OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, WITH HIGHS
AVERAGING 10F ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS BY THE UPCOMING WEEKEND.
SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
UT...FREEZE WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 9 AM MDT TUESDAY FOR
UTZ107-108-114>116-118>120-122.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT FOR UTZ112.
WY...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT FOR WYZ021.
PUBLIC/FIRE WEATHER...TRAPHAGAN
AVIATION...WEBBER
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA'S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY
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