textproduct: Salt Lake City

KEY MESSAGES, Issued 249 PM MDT Thu Aug 6 2026

- Dangerous heat will impact much of the state through Saturday across southern Utah, Sunday the remainder of the Utah. Those without access to cooling or proper hydration will be most at risk for heat-related illness. With temperatures remaining elevated overnight, there will be little recovery. Heat stress is cumulative.

- Critical fire weather conditions will develop across southern Utah Saturday as widely scattered thunderstorms develop after a long duration period of very dry, very hot conditions. This will spread north and east across much of the remainder of southern Utah Sunday.

- A marginal risk of excessive rainfall has been outlooked across southern Utah Saturday, shifting north and east Sunday.

DISCUSSION

Forecast remains on track for an area of high pressure to build eastward into the region over the next few days, bringing increasing heat areawide with an influx of moisture to follow. Across Utah and southwest Wyoming, the increasing temperature trend is expected to peak on Friday/ Saturday, with temperatures slowly decreasing through the weekend and into early next week. Along the Wasatch Front and remainder of the I-15 corridor through Cedar City, high temperatures will be back into the upper-90s (Cedar City area) and the low-100s in the Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Provo area. By noon on Friday, a series of heat advisories and extreme heat warnings will go into effect across northern Utah, with existing warnings and advisories in southern Utah remaining in effect.

Mid-level moisture will remain in place across the southern half of Utah, as was the case today. As was evident with today, high- based showers and thunderstorms will bring potential for strong outflow winds in excess of 40-45 mph. With mid-level moisture spreading a skosh farther northward, would anticipate coverage of these showers to extend into Millard County Friday afternoon. Though a majority of these showers and thunderstorms will be largely dry, little steering flow in the lower to middle portions of the atmosphere will allow for slow moving storms, thus bringing potential for isolated heavy rainfall in near-stationary storms. While the threat of flash flooding in the typical areas is quite low, it is not zero.

The lower levels of the atmosphere will remain fairly dry through the weekend until the center of the high pressure positions itself over the Four Corners region, which will help to advect an influx of lower level moisture into the forecast area. Given the current model guidance, would anticipate this to occur around the mid-week timeframe (Wednesday/ Thursday), with high-based largely dry showers and thunderstorms each afternoon until then. This pattern looks to remain solidly in place thereafter.

AVIATION

KSLC...A slight increase in mid level moisture and clouds expected Friday as high pressure shifts, but precipitation chances remain minimal (less than 10%). Outside a similar chance of outflow gusts, winds expected to remain light (generally less than 10 kts) with direction shifts at typical diurnal times. VFR conditions anticipated to prevail, with potential for brief modest VIS reductions near sunset and sunrise due to sun angle combined with smoke.

REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...High pressure will begin to start shifting southeast, allowing a slight increase in moisture. At northern terminals this will largely be midlevel, bringing an increase in cloud cover accordingly. Precipitation and outflow chances remain low (10% or less), with winds otherwise expected to follow a typical diurnal pattern. VFR conditions anticipated to prevail, with potential for brief periods of slight VIS reductions near sunrise and sunset due to smoke and sun angle. At southern terminals where a bit moisture is noted, more cloud cover will build in. Many southwestern Utah terminals will see around a 10-30% chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms, along with gusty erratic outflow wind gusts. Winds otherwise will favor a diurnally normal direction pattern.

FIRE WEATHER

High pressure will gradually shift eastward, drawing mid-level moisture into Utah later Friday into Saturday. By Saturday afternoon, widely scattered thunderstorms will impact southwestern Utah. This will combine with a long duration of very hot, very dry conditions to bring the threat of critical fire weather conditions. As moisture draws further north and east, most of southern Utah will see a risk of widely scattered thunderstorms bringing the potential critical fire weather conditions to much of southern Utah Sunday.

By Monday, humidities will continue to increase, especially across the higher terrain. This monsoon surge will continue through at least midweek.

SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

UT...Extreme Heat Warning from noon Friday to midnight MDT Sunday night for UTZ101-102-104-105-115-120-121.

Heat Advisory from noon Friday to midnight MDT Sunday night for UTZ103-106-107-114-116.

Heat Advisory until 9 PM MDT Saturday for UTZ118-119-122-126-127.

Extreme Heat Warning until 9 PM MDT Saturday for UTZ123-124- 128>131.

WY...None.