textproduct: Salt Lake City

KEY MESSAGES, Issued 1017 PM MDT Wed Oct 14 2026

- A few showers will linger over portions of eastern Utah tonight before dry conditions develop areawide Thursday through the weekend with a gradual warming trend in temperatures.

- Confidence remains relatively high that a more active pattern will return next week, though uncertainty is higher than usual in the timing or details of any systems that may move through.

DISCUSSION, Issued 1017 PM MDT Wed Oct 14 2026

The slow moving low pressure system that has been impacting Utah and southwest Wyoming the past few days has moved into Colorado this evening. Most areas remain dry behind it, but some showers persist over eastern Utah on the back side of the system. As the low continues east overnight, the remaining precipitation will diminish.

Temperatures stayed on the cold side today with maxes running 10-15F above seasonal normals. with a bit of a Rex Block pattern developing over the Pacific coast over the next few days, conditions will stay dry through the weekend with highs warming to near seasonal normals for Saturday and Sunday.

Most guidance indicates the Rex Block breaking by Saturday as a Pacific Northwest trough moves it out of the way before tracking along the US/Canada border. The absence of the ridge would open up the West to a more active storm track next week. However, there remains considerable spread as to the timing and track of these systems. The most popular solution brings a Pacific system across the area Tuesday into Wednesday, bringing primarily rain due to the warm nature of the system. A minority of guidance, however, (including the latest deterministic ECMWF) keep the low off the California coast through midweek, allowing dry conditions to persist longer. Models tend to struggle with closed low features, so hopefully more confidence in the details comes in future runs.

AVIATION

KSLC...VFR conditions prevail through the remainder of the TAF period as low clouds continue to erode across the Wasatch overnight. Expect light southeasterly winds through Thursday morning, switching northwesterly after roughly 18z.

REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...Low clouds continue to erode across the high terrain this evening, with skies clearing across most of the airspace overnight excluding some persistent low clouds across southwest Wyoming into early Thursday morning. Generally light winds are expected for most terminals overnight. Gusty northeasterly winds develop late Thursday morning across southern and eastern Utah, with widespread gusts 25+ kts through the afternoon. Southwest Wyoming will see elevated easterly winds develop Thursday morning and continue through the day.

FIRE WEATHER, Issued 1249 PM MDT Wed Oct 14 2026

Low pressure continues to meander across southeastern UT resulting in one more day of widespread rainfall and high elevation snowfall for areas east of I-15. High pressure builds in Thursday, bringing a drying and slight warming trend to all of Utah into and through the weekend. Mixing will remain limited given weak winds, inversion development, and October sun angle through the next few days.

SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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