textproduct: Salt Lake City

KEY MESSAGES, Issued 221 PM MDT Fri Jun 26 2026

- Widespread and significant critical fire weather conditions will continue through Saturday across nearly the entire state.

- A strong cold front will cross northern and central Utah Saturday afternoon through Saturday night. Much cooler temperatures will follow the front, with daytime highs Sunday running 20 to 25 degrees below normal over northern Utah and 10 to 15 degrees below normal over central and southwest Utah.

- Critical fire weather conditions will continue through Sunday across southeastern Utah ahead of the cold front.

DISCUSSION, Issued 1044 PM MDT Fri Jun 26 2026

A mean longwave trough is in place over the northwestern CONUS this evening. Embedded within this longwave are several shortwave weather disturbances. The first is ejecting across northern Utah at this time and will continue to lift northeast tonight. A cold front associated with this initial feature has made its way through Utah County and is now noted over northeastern Juab County. Because the associated upper level disturbance will lift away from the area, the front is expected to make little additional forward progression before stalling and weakening overnight.

Strong winds were noted on both sides of the cold front today, but postfrontal winds have already started to trend downward while prefrontal winds across central and southern Utah are decoupling. While enhanced southerlies can still be expected across central and southern Utah tonight, they should remain below advisory criteria. However, a second, stronger, shortwave disturbance will carve into the mean trough Saturday, bringing renewed southwesterly winds. A second cold front will then push into northern Utah Saturday afternoon/evening and will progress into southwest Utah Saturday night. With gusty southwest winds expected again through Saturday, another Wind Advisory is in place for the central and southern Utah valleys. Meanwhile, Red Flag Warnings will also continue through Saturday for much of Utah as the winds combine with low relative humidities and dry fuels. However, with daytime humidities rising to near 15% Saturday (from single digits today) across the southern and central mountains and southwest Utah, will not be extending the "Particularly Dangerous Situation" wording. Even on Sunday, southeastern Utah will continue to see enhanced southwesterly winds ahead of the front and Red Flag Warnings continue over that area.

Cooler air will spread into area, particularly northern Utah, tomorrow behind the cold front. Northern valleys are expected to see high temperatures in the 70s to low 80s, a relief from the upper 80s and 90s of late. Behind the second cold front, temperatures will be even cooler on Sunday, with most northern valleys failing to even reach 70 degrees. High temperatures across northern Utah on Sunday will trend 15-25 degrees below normal, and across southern Utah, they will be 5-15 degrees below normal. Additionally, cannot rule out some nighttime frost, especially Sunday night, in some of the normally colder valleys such as the Cache Valley and the Wasatch Back.

Showers can be expected behind the cold front tonight across portions of northern Utah. These will continue into Saturday afternoon as an upper jet noses into northern Utah. Increasing instability and good shear will aid in the development of stronger to potentially severe storms, mainly closer to the Idaho border, Saturday afternoon. Additional showers can be expected across northern Utah on Sunday behind the second cold front, but these should not have enough instability to drive a notable severe threat. However, with a colder airmass in place, minor amounts (generally less than 1 inch) of snow/graupel will be possible with showers over the higher terrain of northern Utah.

Drier air will then return to the area through much of the coming week. A mean trough will remain largely in place over the western CONUS, with southwesterly flow continuing and also allowing for a warming trend. However, localized critical fire weather conditions will remain possible, especially in the eastern valleys, with an increased potential for more widespread critical fire weather conditions towards the latter part of the week.

AVIATION, Issued 1044 PM MDT Fri Jun 26 2026

KSLC, Issued 1044 PM MDT Fri Jun 26 2026... VFR conditions continue through the period. Generally light northerly winds prevail overnight, though may become variable at times through 16z as showers along a boundary move through northern Utah. There is a 30% chance for these showers to move over the terminal and bring a period of rain and lowered CIGS between roughly 11-14z this morning. Otherwise, breezy northwest winds with gusts to 25 kts redevelop after 18z.

REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...A frontal boundary is stalled across central Utah, with generally light northwest winds ongoing across the northern half of the airspace and breezy southwest winds across southern and eastern Utah. A line of showers behind the front will continue to move through northern Utah through early this morning, bringing lowering CIGS and a brief period of rain to most northern Utah/southwest Wyoming terminals. Gusty westerly to northwest winds and isolated thunderstorms are expected to develop Saturday afternoon across northern Utah/southwest Wyoming, with gusty southwest winds and dry conditions prevailing across the remainder of Utah.

FIRE WEATHER

A strong Pacific system will continue to bring strong gusty winds to much of Utah today. Expect gusts in the 45-50 mph range for most locations, with humidities a bit higher than Friday for much of Utah, generally 10-15 percent for all areas except the southeastern portion of the state, where humidities will be closer to 5-10 percent.

A strong cold front will shift across northern Utah this afternoon into this evening. Ahead of this cold front across far northern Utah near the Idaho border, strong to severe thunderstorms will occur with a 5% chance of hail to 1 inch and wind gusts in excess of 60 mph. The cold front will reach central Utah this evening into tonight. As the best forcing associated with the cold front shifts east of the region, the cold front will slow down Sunday, allowing for another round of critical fire weather conditions across southeastern Utah. By Sunday night, another embedded disturbance will finally push the cold front through southeastern Utah.

A warming trend will follow for much of next week. Initially gusty winds and low RH will bring local critical fire weather conditions to central and southern Utah. A return to hot, dry and potentially windy conditions will follow for the latter half of next week, with single digit RH and poor recovery becoming common across the entire area Wednesday into Thursday.

SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

UT...Red Flag Warning until midnight MDT tonight for UTZ478-482-484- 488-492-493-495>497.

Red Flag Warning until 9 PM MDT Sunday for UTZ489-494-498.

Wind Advisory from 10 AM this morning to midnight MDT tonight for UTZ115-116-118-121>124-126-128>131.

WY...None.