textproduct: Salt Lake City

KEY MESSAGES

- Cool, dry, and stable conditions build into the forecast area through Wednesday.

- A weak system traverses the Great Basin on Wednesday bringing light valley rain and high elevation snowfall to northern and central Utah.

- Starting Thursday, quiet weather looks to persist as a strong ridge of high pressure builds across the western U.S..

DISCUSSION

Mid-level ridging continues to build across the Great Basin with the departure of the system that brought notable rainfall to the forecast area. As such, height rises continue to occur across much of the western U.S. ushering in a brief period of quiet weather through Wednesday morning. Cold northwest mid-level flow will continue pumping cold air into the forecast area, keeping overnight temperatures tonight roughly 5F colder than normal with daytime highs tomorrow running 5-10F below normal.

On Wednesday, a compact weak shortwave trough will traverse the Great Basin bringing another round of light rain to lower elevation locations and light snowfall to higher terrain locations across northern and central UT. Given the moisture starved nature of this system and how quickly it will traverse east with time, no significant rainfall/snowfall is expected with this system. However, it will draw down some colder air keeping temperatures roughly 5-10F cooler than normal through Thursday morning.

Following this system, strong ridging looks to build in across much of the western U.S. keeping conditions moderated through early next week. With persistent height rises throughout the period, a warming trend appears likely starting Saturday, with temperatures warming to potentially as high as 5-10F above average across much of northern and central UT.

AVIATION

KSLC...VFR conditions will prevail through the TAF period. Winds will remain from the southeast overnight before transitioning to northwesterly during the 18-19Z timeframe Tuesday.

REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...LIFR to potentially VLIFR conditions in dense fog and/or low stratus (70% probability) are expected at KLGU during the 10-14Z timeframe, assuming lingering stratus scatters out. These conditions may develop as early as 08Z and could linger as late as 16Z. There is also a 20% chance for LIFR conditions at KHCR late tonight in dense fog and/or low stratus. Otherwise VFR conditions with light winds will be the rule at all terminals through the TAF period.

SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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