textproduct: Salt Lake City

KEY MESSAGES, Issued 244 PM MDT Thu Sep 3 2026

- Gusty southwesterly winds continue Friday across much of Utah and southwest Wyoming.

- Tropical moisture moves into the region on Sunday with precipitation chances increasing.

DISCUSSION

Southwesterly winds will remain elevated on Friday with similar wind gust magnitudes to today (30-45 mph) although a bit more expansive area of these higher gusts. 700 mb winds maximize on Friday morning before gradually decreasing during the day which will help to prevent the winds from gusting higher and for as long. Even though a few areas will see gusts to advisory levels the duration and spatial extent should be limited.

The next chance for precipitation arrives on Sunday as moisture from Hurricane Marie is advected into the region as a trough in the PNW rotates a jet max into Utah on Sunday. The right entrance region of this jet will lead to upper-level divergence and widespread precipitation. The biggest question will be how quickly the base of this trough rotates through. Ahead of the trough will be relatively warm and moist air while behind it will be drier and cooler air. If it arrives faster than the moisture then precipitation will be further east. This is evident amongst the ensemble members as PWATs for KSLC range from 0.7" to 1.00" on Sunday. QPF totals have come down a bit as the arrival of precipitation looks more like an early to mid morning event with cloud cover limiting instability and higher rainfall rates.

Ridging will build back into Utah and SW Wyoming for the first half of next week with seasonal temperatures. The moisture from Hurricane Marie could make another appearance as Marie decays over the Pacific and the remnant moisture is pulled into the west thanks to the PNW trough.

AVIATION

KSLC...A generally dry and enhanced southwesterly flow will persist through Friday. Precipitation is not expected, skies will remain mostly clear to clear, and winds will at times be modestly gusty around 20-30 kts. If/when surface winds relax with the diurnal cycle overnight, low level wind (speed) shear up to around 30 kts in roughly the lowest 1-2 km AGL may develop. Gusty winds return or become enhanced following sunrise Friday.

REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...Dry southwesterly flow to persist, maintaining clear to mostly clear skies. Winds will also continue to favor a south to southwesterly direction, with modest gusts around 20-30 kts at times, particularly during the day. Anticipate some terminals will decouple overnight, with diminishing wind gusts yielding instead some low level wind (speed) shear up to 30 kts or so in the lowest 1-2 km AGL. Gusts will tend to increase following sunrise Friday, decreasing wind shear concerns.

FIRE WEATHER, Issued 244 PM MDT Thu Sep 3 2026

Gusty southwest winds have developed again this afternoon and are expected to remain especially elevated into Friday with widespread gusts 30-45 mph each afternoon. Portions of western Utah will see relative humidity values below 15 percent through this evening; when coupled with strong winds already in place, areas of critical fire weather conditions are expected to develop across this area. Despite critical fire weather conditions being realized today, improvements in fuel moisture across the region keeps the risk moderated. While winds remain gusty across the area on Friday, relative humidity is expected to increase above critical levels across most of the region with improving overnight recoveries.

Despite increasing moisture through Saturday, a lack of outside forcing will keep chances for showers and thunderstorms low through this period. A more significant moisture surge with a concurrent passage of a strong upper-level wave is expected on Sunday, resulting in the development of widespread showers and thunderstorms across a majority of the state. Conditions will be favorable across central and southern Utah especially for heavy rain and flash flooding, with a threat for severe wind and heavy rain across northern Utah. Otherwise, storms are expected to taper off through early Monday, with drier conditions developing through mid-week as high pressure redevelops over the region.

SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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