textproduct: Salt Lake City

KEY MESSAGES, Issued 1201 PM MDT Fri Jul 24 2026

- Monsoonal moisture will remain in place over Utah and southwest Wyoming today, bringing the potential of showers and thunderstorms capable of producing heavy rain capable of causing flash flooding.

- Somewhat drier air will move into the area over the weekend, decreasing the threat of showers and thunderstorms. However, moisture is expected to increase again starting Tuesday. - Hot temperatures as high as the lower 100s will develop for the valleys of northwest Utah as well as the Uinta Basin this afternoon, with these hot temperatures persisting through Monday. Overnight lows will remain elevated, limiting the potential for overnight relief from the heat.

DISCUSSION, Issued 1201 PM MDT Fri Jul 24 2026

High pressure is centered over the Four Corners this morning, putting Utah and southwest Wyoming in a light but prevailing southwesterly flow aloft. Monsoonal moisture remains in place, with satellite derived PWs showing values in the 0.7 to 1.0 inch range over northern and central portions of the area, with PWs in the 1.0 to 1.2 inch range over far southern Utah. These highest PW values were primarily confined to areas near the Utah/Idaho border overnight, but have been spreading northward a bit during the day. Showers and thunderstorms are starting to develop over the higher terrain of southern Utah this time, with this area being the primary focus for convection during the afternoon. Anticipating the development of scattered convection to spread northward during the remainder of the afternoon and into the evening. With light flow, movement off the terrain will be generally limited, but any storms that develop over prone areas will move little, keeping a threat of flash flooding in place.

There is high confidence that the ridge axis will shift east over the weekend with a Pacific Northwest trough moving over the top of it, bringing a more zonal flow over Utah and southwest Wyoming as the ridge flattens. This will act to bring a gradual drying trend to the area, decreasing coverage of convection each afternoon and evening through the weekend. By late Monday, the ridge axis is expected to reamplify as the wave moves east of the ridge, bringing a return to a more southerly flow, allowing moisture to increase once again.

With a strong ridge in place, temperatures are expected to be unseasonably hot, particularly for the valleys of northwest Utah, including the Wasatch Front, as well as the Uinta Basin. Maxes are expected to rise as high as the lower 100s Friday through Monday, with the monsoon moisture keeping overnight lows elevated. For large portions of northwest Utah, lows are expected to stay in the mid to upper 70s, providing little relief from the heat overnight. Because of the anticipated increased risk of heat related illness in this pattern, have replaced the going Extreme Heat Watch with a Heat Advisory for the Wasatch Front and Cache Valley beginning today, and added the remainder of northwest Utah as well as the Uinta Basin. Will need to consider additional heat headlines beginning Saturday for southeast Utah, with the shift in the ridge bringing hotter temperatures to that area. The return of moisture by Tuesday is expected to moderate temperatures some, though they will remain around 5F above normal for northern portions of the area.

AVIATION, Issued 1201 PM MDT Fri Jul 24 2026

KSLC, Issued 1201 PM MDT Fri Jul 24 2026... Mostly VFR conditions are expected to persist for the KSLC terminal through the period. Current showers around the terminal will likely become convective after 19z, with a 30% chance of lightning, brief heavy rains and gusty winds impacting the terminal. If a break in showers materializes, a second round of storms may impact the terminal after 01z, with a return to southeast winds expected around 03z.

REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...Mostly VFR conditions will persist for the entire airspace through the period. Convection re- develops tomorrow afternoon with ~30% chance of terminal impacts from lightning, gusty and erratic winds, and brief heavy rain. Otherwise, winds will remain diurnally driven.

FIRE WEATHER

Scattered showers and thunderstorms will again develop this afternoon, with the best coverage over the higher terrain of southern Utah this afternoon into the early evening. Any storms that develop will be capable of producing gusty winds and lightning as well as the potential for wetting rains. Other than thunderstorm winds, high pressure will bring generally light and terrain driven winds. Drier air moving into the area over the weekend will cause a gradual decrease in coverage of showers and thunderstorms through Monday. With this drier air moving in, portions of western and southern Utah are expected to see minimum relative humidity values approach critical levels on Saturday, with the potential becoming more widespread Sunday into Monday. Moisture is expected to start to increase again over the area beginning Tuesday.

SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

UT...Heat Advisory until midnight MDT Monday night for UTZ101>107-114.

WY...None.