textproduct: Salt Lake City

KEY MESSAGES, Issued 1047 PM MDT Sun Aug 16 2026

- Scattered convection tonight across northern Utah/SW Wyoming shifting east tomorrow.

- Elevated to locally critical fire weather conditions will occur across central and southern Utah Tuesday with enhanced southwesterly winds coupled with low humidity.

- Moisture increases late in the weekend and into the weekend.

DISCUSSION, Issued 1036 PM MDT Mon Aug 17 2026

A weak shortwave is moving through the northern CWA. This is manifesting in the form of showers with embedded convection that is currently moving into the west desert. These seemingly weak showers are capable of producing strong gusty and erratic winds as seen on I-80 in the Salt Flats where a wind sensor gusted to 61 mph briefly. This magnitude of wind gusts are likely an outlier, but gusts to 40 mph closer to the Wasatch Front tonight is well within the realm of possibilities. This activity will keep PoPs between 30-40% chance overnight as this wave moves to the east. During the day tomorrow a shortwave moving through Idaho and Montana will help to spark more afternoon convection across northeastern Utah, primarily near the Wyoming border, including Uinta County, and over the Uintas. Southwesterly winds will be elevated tomorrow across a strip of Utah from the southwestern corner up through the northeastern corner. Gusts 20-25 mph will result in locally critical fire weather conditions.

Temperatures will continue to warm as the ridge strengthens overhead. Highs will peak on Thursday/Friday with ~50% chance of a return to triple digits across the Salt Lake Valley on Thursday. Triple digits will also remain possible (~20% chance) on Friday.

As the ridge positions itself move over the Four Corners moisture will begin to increase by Friday and into the weekend. A trough off the PNW will increase the pressure gradient across the area which will enhance southwesterly flow once again, but higher relative humidity will limit the critical fire weather conditions. Scattered diurnal convection each day will increase the flash flood risk across prone areas this weekend.

AVIATION...KSLC

VFR conditions continue through the TAF period with persistent mid to high level cloud coverage. Generally light southeasterly winds persist this morning before transitioning northwesterly around 19z, though there is potential for an earlier switch around 18z.

REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...VFR conditions prevail for all regional terminals through the period. Conditions remain mostly dry across the airspace outside of isolated showers and thunderstorms developing across the eastern half of Utah this afternoon and evening. Winds remain generally light and diurnally driven today, except for portions of southwest Wyoming and southern Utah as enhanced southwesterly winds with gusts 20-25 kts develop this afternoon.

FIRE WEATHER, Issued 435 AM MDT Tue Aug 18 2026

Hot and dry conditions continue through the work week as high pressure gradually strengthens across the region. Conditions remain critically dry across lower elevations through this period. A slight uptick in afternoon winds today will result in elevated to locally critical fire weather conditions developing mainly across lower elevations of central and southern Utah. Otherwise, the main concern remains the threat for isolated afternoon showers and thunderstorms capable of producing dry lightning and gusty and erratic outflow winds. An influx of monsoonal moisture is expected Friday onward across the region, with storms trending wetter through the weekend as a result.

SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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