textproduct: Salt Lake City

KEY MESSAGES

- Breezy winds will remain in place across far southwestern Utah around the Pine Valley Mountains, with peak winds expected to gust between 30-40 mph through Saturday morning.

- A stretch of dry and increasingly mild weather is anticipated over the weekend, with the dry conditions expected to continue for much of the upcoming week.

DISCUSSION

A trough and its associated area of low pressure will continue to depart the forecast area through the next 12 hours, bringing increasingly stable conditions across Utah and southwest Wyoming. With high pressure building in from the north and low pressure departing to the south, an increased surface pressure gradient across southern Utah will help to drive stronger winds through terrain features (particularly in southwestern Utah). These breezy winds, specifically around the Pine Valley Mountains, will continue through the remainder of the evening and overnight hours, gradually tapering off through Saturday morning as the aforementioned area of low pressure continues its track south.

High pressure will spread across the area throughout the day on Saturday, bringing dry and stable conditions areawide. With warming temperatures overhead, anticipate a gradual warming trend through the weekend alongside largely clear skies. As we're getting further into the cool season, warming temperatures overhead begin to raise concern for persistent valley inversions. As such, would anticipate at least a little bit of valley haze along the Wasatch Front by the end of the weekend or the beginning of next week as this area of high pressure looks to remain in place through at least Monday.

Models indicate potential for a chunk of northern stream energy to graze by northern Utah/ southern ID on Tuesday, introducing a cooler airmass that will help to bring potential for valley inversions to break or, at the very least, weaken. This is going to be the most noteworthy impact of this weak shortwave as moisture is severely lacking. If the trough helps to break the inversion, then whatever urban haze has accumulated will have a chance to dissipate. However, if this wave comes in weaker and/ or tracks farther north, then we'll likely continue to see the accumulation of valley pollutants from now through the end of next week as high pressure looks to quickly reestablish over the region from mid-week forward.

Models do indicate strong potential for the pattern to shift/ break down as we head into late next week/ next weekend.

AVIATION

KSLC...No significant weather expected as high pressure builds in. Skies anticipated to remain mostly clear with VFR conditions prevailing. Winds to remain light, generally less than 10 kts, and follow a diurnally typical direction pattern.

REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...High pressure building into the area will limit potential for impactful weather at area terminals. Winds are expected to remain fairly light, following a diurnally typical direction pattern, or at times become variable. Skies will tend to be mostly clear to clear. Some patchy BR/FG potential noted in sheltered valleys (e.g. LGU) overnight through sunrise.

SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

UT...None. WY...None.