452
FXUS65 KSLC 171223
AFDSLC
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
523 AM MST TUE FEB 17 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- ACCUMULATING MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF UTAH WITH
MOIST WEST TO SOUTHWEST FLOW AS ONE STORM SYSTEM SLIDES TO THE
EAST AND ANOTHER APPROACHES FROM THE WEST.
- WIND GUSTS WILL BE LIGHTER THAN MONDAY NIGHT, BUT VALLEY GUSTS
TO AROUND 40 MPH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY.
- A STORM SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL TRACK INTO UTAH
TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY WITH MORE ACCUMULATING MOUNTAIN
SNOW. CONDITIONS WILL ALSO BE COLD ENOUGH FOR ACCUMULATING
VALLEY SNOW.
DISCUSSION
A LONGWAVE TROUGH OFF THE PACNW COAST WILL BE THE
NEXT STORM SYSTEM TO TRACK INTO UTAH. THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH THAT
PUSHED IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST MONDAY HAS EXITED THE AREA, BUT
REMNANT MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT ATMOSPHERIC RIVER (AR)
COMBINED WITH FORCING FROM THE INCOMING TROUGH WILL BRING
CONTINUED MOUNTAIN SNOW, PARTICULARLY FOR NORTHERN UTAH. WINDS
WILL CONTINUE TO BE GUSTY AS A STORM APPROACHES, BUT BE LIGHTER
THAN MONDAY NIGHT. THE WIND HEADLINES WERE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE, AS
WIND GUSTS WILL BE SLIGHTLY BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA, BUT GUSTS
WILL PEAK AROUND 40 MPH.
THE AFOREMENTIONED LONGWAVE TROUGH IS ALSO AN AR AND WILL BRING A
SURGE OF MOISTURE INTO UTAH. THE BEST MOISTURE ADVECTION WILL BE
INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, SOUTHERN NEVADA, AND SOUTHERN UTAH,
WHERE MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL PICK UP TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. A NORTH
TO SOUTH ORIENTED BAROCLINIC ZONE WILL TRACK INTO UTAH EARLY
WEDNESDAY AND SLIDE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE DAY. THE FRONT WILL
BRING SUFFICIENT COLD AIR ADVECTION FOR SNOW LEVELS TO VALLEY
FLOORS. LOCALLY HIGHER SNOW RATES WILL COME WITH THE FRONT.
PRECISE TIMING IS LOWER CONFIDENCE, WITH MODELS RANGING FROM
ROUGHLY 5-11 A.M. FOR IT TO TRACK THROUGH SALT LAKE CITY. THIS
WILL BE CAPABLE OF AFFECTING VALLEY TRAVEL WEDNESDAY FOR SOME
COMMUTES, DEPENDING ON TIMING. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN
ISSUED FOR THE URBAN CORRIDOR OF NORTHERN UTAH FOR 2-4 INCHES OF
SNOW ACCUMULATION WITH TOTALS AROUND 6 INCHES FOR BENCHES. WINTER
STORM WARNINGS CONTINUE FOR THE MOUNTAINS WITH THIS STORM SYSTEM,
WITH ANOTHER 1-2 FEET FOR THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS WITH
LOCALLY HIGHER TOTALS FOR THE UPPER COTTONWOODS AND BRIAN HEAD.
SNOW WILL DIMINISH TO SNOW SHOWERS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WITH GUSTY
NORTHWEST WINDS THROUGHOUT SOUTHWEST WYOMING AND UTAH. VALLEY
TEMPERATURES INTO THURSDAY WILL LOWER INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS AND
TEENS. THURSDAY WILL BE DRIER, WITH SCATTERED MOUNTAIN SNOW
SHOWERS AND LARGELY DRY CONDITIONS FOR VALLEYS.
A LONGWAVE TROUGH WILL DIG INTO THE WESTERN U.S. FRIDAY WITH MORE
VALLEY AND MOUNTAIN SNOW. THE TRACK OF THAT STORM SYSTEM WOULD
BRING THE MOST SNOW ACCUMULATION TO SOUTHERN UTAH. AFTER THAT
SYSTEM, THERE IS GOOD AGREEMENT ON A TRANSIENT RIDGE SATURDAY,
THEN SOUTHWEST FLOW AS A LONGWAVE TROUGH TRACKS INTO THE EASTERN
PACIFIC MONDAY OR TUESDAY.
AVIATION...KSLC
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST FOR THE KSLC TERMINAL
THROUGH THE PERIOD. GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE
DAY WITH BRIEF INTERMITTENT SHOWERS. CIGS AND VIS SHOULD REMAIN
VFR THROUGHOUT THE DAY WITH SOME MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION FROM
MOUNTAIN SHOWERS.
REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING
THE WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION
HAS MOVED OUT OF THE AIRSPACE WITH SHOWERY ACTIVITY, PRIMARILY
ACROSS THE NORTH, PERSISTING THROUGH THE DAY. CONDITIONS WILL BE
MOSTLY VFR WITH SOME REDUCED CATEGORIES DOWN TO MVFR/IFR ACROSS THE
HIGHER TERRAIN AND NORTHEASTERN AIRSPACE ASSOCIATED WITH LOWERED
CIGS. INTERMITTENT MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION WILL PERSIST AS MOUNTAIN
SHOWERS MOVE THROUGH. GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL PERSIST FOR THE
ENTIRE AIRSPACE THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
UT...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST EARLY THIS MORNING FOR UTZ101-
102-122.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 3 AM TO 3 PM MST WEDNESDAY FOR
UTZ102>106-116.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM MST EARLY THIS MORNING FOR UTZ103>105-
115-116-118-119-121-126>130.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 3 AM TO 5 PM MST WEDNESDAY FOR UTZ107.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST THURSDAY FOR UTZ108-110>112.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST THURSDAY FOR UTZ113-117.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 PM MST
WEDNESDAY FOR UTZ122-127.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING TO 5 PM MST
WEDNESDAY FOR UTZ124-126-128.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 PM MST WEDNESDAY FOR UTZ125.
WY...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST WEDNESDAY FOR WYZ021.
PUBLIC...WILSON
AVIATION...MAHAN
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA'S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY
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