997
FXUS65 KSLC 222248
AFDSLC
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
348 PM MST THU JAN 22 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL START THURSDAY NIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO THE
WEEKEND FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN UTAH AS A STORM SYSTEM TRACKS
ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHWEST U.S. AND NORTHERN MEXICO.
- A COLD FRONT WILL TRACK FROM NORTH TO SOUTH FROM LATE FRIDAY
INTO SATURDAY, BRINGING MUCH COLDER CONDITIONS THIS WEEKEND.
- THE COLD FRONT WILL BRING GAP WINDS ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST
UTAH SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY, WITH A 30% CHANCE OF GUSTS IN EXCESS
OF 45 MPH.
DISCUSSION
THE COMBINATION OF FORCING AND MOISTURE FROM A
CLOSED LOW TRACKING SOUTH OF UTAH AND A LONGWAVE TROUGH AND
ASSOCIATED BAROCLINIC ZONE PUSHING IN FROM THE NORTH WILL BRING
PRECIPITATION TO PORTIONS OF UTAH.
MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW OFF THE COAST OF SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA HAS BROUGHT HIGH-BASED SHOWERS TO FAR SOUTHWEST UTAH.
THESE HAVE ALMOST ALL BEEN VIRGA, BUT AS MOISTURE CONTENT
INCREASES AND FORCING IMPROVES INTO FRIDAY, CONDITIONS WILL
SATURATE. VALLEY RAIN AND SNOW TO AROUND 6000 FEET WILL PRIMARILY
AFFECT CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN UTAH FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. THERE IS
GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT ON A DEFORMATION BAND FROM ROUGHLY RICHFIELD
TO GREEN RIVER WHERE PRECIPITATION RATES WOULD BE LOCALLY HIGHER.
WITH ROAD TEMPERATURES STARTING WARMER THAN FREEZING, THIS PORTION
OF THE EVENT DURING THE AFTERNOON, AND THE STORM SYSTEMS NOT
REALLY PHASED UP TO BRING A SUBSTANTIAL RAIN OR SNOW EVENT, THE
THE DEFORMATION AXIS IS NOT ANTICIPATED TO CAUSE BIG TRAVEL
ISSUES. THERE WILL LIKELY BE SLUSH-UPS AND LIGHT SNOW
ACCUMULATIONS ON ROADS IN THAT PORTION OF THE STATE. MOUNTAIN
ROUTES WILL ALSO BE AFFECTED, WITH SNOWFALL TOTALS RANGING FROM
2-6 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER TOTALS.
FOR NORTHERN UTAH, MOISTURE CONTENT WILL BE SUBSTANTIALLY LESS,
SO THE MAIN SOURCE OF FORCING AND MOISTURE WILL BE NEAR THE
BAROCLINIC ZONE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. THIS WILL BE A COLD, DRY
STORM SYSTEM FOR THAT PORTION OF THE STATE. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED
MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS WILL RESULT IN A TRACE-1 INCH OF SNOW
ACCUMULATION.
THE COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL BE SUFFICIENT TO ELIMINATE ANY VALLEY
INVERSIONS THROUGHOUT SOUTHWEST WYOMING AND UTAH. IT WILL BRING
GUSTY GAP WINDS TO BLACK RIDGE CANYON AND PORTIONS OF LOWER
WASHINGTON COUNTY, WHERE GUSTS OF 30-40 MPH ARE LIKELY SATURDAY
INTO SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE 5-10F COOLER THAN NORMAL FOR
THE WEEKEND. THE COLDEST CONDITIONS WILL BE SATURDAY, WITH VALLEY
HIGHS IN THE LOW AND MID 30S FOR MUCH OF UTAH AND LOW TEMPERATURES
SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO TEENS.
INTO THE WEEK, THE SYNOPTIC SET UP WILL BE WITH A DRY NORTHWEST
FLOW AND AN UPSTREAM RIDGE. TEMPERATURES WILL BE CLOSE TO NORMAL
SUNDAY AND WARMER THAN NORMAL MUCH OF THE WEEK AS THE RIDGE SLIDES
EAST. VALLEY INVERSIONS WILL BUILD, ESPECIALLY BY MONDAY OR
TUESDAY AS THE RIDGE APPROACHES.
AVIATION...KSLC
LIGHT NORTHWEST WINDS WILL TRANSITION TO LIGHT
SOUTHEAST WINDS AROUND 03Z. SCATTERED TO BROKEN CLOUDS WILL LOWER,
BUT STAY IN VFR RANGE, WITH A TREND TOWARD MORE BROKEN CLOUDS
AFTER 03Z. WINDS WILL TRANSITION TO NORTHWEST AROUND 18Z.
REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING
VFR CONDITIONS WITH
SCATTERED TO BROKEN CLOUDS WILL PREVAIL THROUGHOUT SOUTHWEST
WYOMING AND NORTHERN UTAH. ELSEWHERE, BROKEN TO OVERCAST CLOUDS
WILL LOWER FROM VFR TO MVFR RANGE AS PRECIPITATION BECOMES LIKELY
FRIDAY. PRECIPITATION WILL BE RAIN OR RAIN MIXED WITH SNOW BELOW
6000 FEET, WITH SNOW ABOVE THAT. SNOW WILL BE CAPABLE OF IFR OR
LIFR CONDITIONS.
SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
UT...NONE.
WY...NONE.
PUBLIC...WILSON
AVIATION...WILSON
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA'S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY
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