765
FXUS65 KSLC 020359
AFDSLC
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
959 PM MDT WED APR 1 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- A COLD STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING SHOWERS TO NORTHERN UTAH THROUGH
THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, WITH THE ASSOCIATED STRONG FRONT MOVING
THROUGH NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA THURSDAY MORNING, AND
THROUGH SOUTHERN UTAH BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THE SYSTEM WILL
BRING SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NORTHERN UTAH MOUNTAINS,
WITH SOME LIGHT VALLEY ACCUMULATIONS LIKELY BY FRIDAY MORNING.
- WIDESPREAD FREEZING TEMPERATURES WILL DEVELOP FRIDAY MORNING,
POTENTIALLY DAMAGING EARLY SEASON AGRICULTURE.
- HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN FOR THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK,
BRINGING A DRYING AND WARMING TREND.
DISCUSSION
A COLD TROUGH IS MOVING ONSHORE ALONG THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST THIS EVENING, WITH UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING UNDER AN
INCREASINGLY MOIST WEST TO SOUTHWEST FLOW OUT AHEAD OF IT. THE
BREAK IN THE ACTION FROM THE PREVIOUS TROUGH WAS SHORT LIVED, AS
A LINE OF SHOWERS IS TRACKING EAST ACROSS THE WASATCH FRONT, WITH
ADDITIONAL SHOWERS MOVING INTO THE NORTHWEST DESERT. PERIODS OF
SHOWERS WITH SNOW LEVELS AROUND 8000 FEET WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, WITH ASSOCIATED ACCUMULATIONS GENERALLY
LIGHT.
THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION WITH THE APPROACHING SYSTEM WILL COME
WITH ITS ASSOCIATED POTENT COLD FRONT. LATEST GUIDANCE CONTINUES
TO INDICATE IT WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA
THURSDAY MORNING, AND THROUGH THE WASATCH FRONT LATE MORNING
THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON. SNOW LEVELS WILL RAPIDLY DROP, REACHING
NORTHERN UTAH VALLEY FLOORS, BUT ASSOCIATED ACCUMULATIONS THAT LOW
WILL BE LIGHT. OVER THE MOUNTAINS, HOWEVER, ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE
SIGNIFICANT, WITH SOME LOCATIONS SEEING OVER A FOOT OF SNOW. GOING
WINTER WEATHER HEADLINES COVER THIS THREAT WELL. LIMITING FACTOR
WITH THE PRECIPITATION WILL PRIMARILY BE THE SPEED OF THE FRONT,
AS THE DURATION OF THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION WILL ONLY BE A
COUPLE OF HOURS OR SO. AS THE FRONT TRACKS INTO CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN UTAH DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING, IT WILL
STILL HAVE A STRONG TEMPERATURE GRADIENT ASSOCIATED WITH IT, BUT
AS IT INCREASINGLY OUTRUNS ITS UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT, ASSOCIATED
COVERAGE OF PRECIPITATION WITH THE FRONT WILL DECREASE NOTICEABLY.
GIVEN THE STRONG NATURE OF THE FRONT, WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE
BOUNDARY WILL BE OCCASIONALLY STRONG AND GUSTY. THE GREATEST
IMPACT WILL BE TO PORTIONS OF CASTLE COUNTRY PRONE TO DOWNSLOPING
WINDS, WHERE A WIND ADVISORY WILL BE IN EFFECT TOMORROW AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.
AS THE TROUGH CONTINUES ACROSS NORTHERN UTAH THURSDAY NIGHT INTO
FRIDAY MORNING, INSTABILITY SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE, PRIMARILY OVER
THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF NORTHERN UTAH, BEFORE TAPERING OFF BY THE
AFTERNOON. IN THE COLD AIRMASS BEHIND THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY, ALL
BUT THE VALLEYS OF FAR SOUTHERN UTAH WILL SEE LOW TEMPERATURES
NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING, WHICH COULD HAVE SOME IMPACTS FOR EARLY
SEASON AGRICULTURE, AS INDICATED BY THE GOING FREEZE WATCHES. LOW
TEMPERATURES SATURDAY MORNING ARE ANTICIPATED TO BE JUST A COUPLE
OF DEGREES LESS COLD THAN FRIDAY MORNING, BUT FREEZING CONDITIONS
SHOULD STILL BE FAIRLY WIDESPREAD.
BEHIND THE EXITING TROUGH, THERE IS HIGH CONFIDENCE THAT THE
PACIFIC RIDGE WILL REBUILD BACK INTO THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST,
BRINGING AN END TO THE ACTIVE PATTERN AS OF LATE AND USHERING IN A
WARMING AND DRYING TREND. AFTER SEEING HIGHS NEAR NORMAL FOR THIS
TIME OF YEAR ON SATURDAY, MAXES ARE EXPECTED TO WARM TO AROUND
10-15F ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK, A COMMON THEME
THIS "COLD" SEASON.
AVIATION...KSLC
PERIODIC RAIN SHOWERS CAN BE EXPECTED AT THE SLC
TERMINAL THROUGH THE NIGHT. CANNOT RULE OUT BRIEF MVFR CONDITIONS IN
THE SHOWERS, OTHERWISE VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL, WITH CIGS BELOW
7KFT LIKELY WITH THE PASSING SHOWERS. THE SHOWERS MAY ALSO BRING
BRIEFLY GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS, OTHERWISE SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL
PREVAIL INTO THURSDAY MORNING. A STRONG COLD FRONT IS THEN EXPECTED
TO CROSS THE TERMINAL BETWEEN 15-17Z, WHICH WILL BRING GUSTY WINDS,
POTENTIALLY 35-40KT ALONG WITH A PERIOD OF MVFR CONDITIONS IN RAIN
OR A RAIN/SNOW MIX. CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE BY 20-21Z, WITH A FEW
LINGERING RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING
PERIODIC SHOWERS CAN BE
EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHERN UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING TERMINALS
THROUGH THE NIGHT. BRIEF MVFR CONDITIONS AND MOUNTAIN TOP
OBSCURATIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE STRONGER SHOWERS, OTHERWISE VFR
CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL. THE SHOWERS MAY ALSO BRING BRIEFLY GUSTY
AND ERRATIC WINDS, OTHERWISE SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL PREVAIL INTO EARLY
THURSDAY MORNING. SOUTHERN UTAH TERMINALS WILL SEE VFR CONDITIONS
UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR TO PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES AND SOUTHERLY WINDS
THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL CROSS NORTHERN
UTAH THURSDAY MORNING, THEN WORK ITS WAY INTO SOUTHERN UTAH BY LATE
AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING. STRONG GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS CAN BE
EXPECTED ALONG AND BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. PERIODS OF MVFR CONDITIONS
WITH RAIN OR A RAIN/SNOW MIX (IFR IN SNOW AT KEVW) CAN BE EXPECTED
BEHIND THE COLD FRONT, ESPECIALLY NORTHERN TERMINALS, WITH
CONDITIONS GRADUALLY IMPROVING AROUND 4-5 HOURS FOLLOWING THE
PASSAGE OF THE FRONT.
SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
UT...FREEZE WATCH FROM THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING FOR
UTZ102>106-121.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 3 AM THURSDAY TO 9 AM MDT FRIDAY
FOR UTZ110>112.
WIND ADVISORY FROM NOON TO 9 PM MDT THURSDAY FOR UTZ120.
WY...NONE.
PUBLIC...TRAPHAGAN
AVIATION...CHENG
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA'S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY
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