108
FXUS65 KSLC 060507
AFDSLC

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Salt Lake City UT
1007 PM MST Thu Mar 5 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Snow showers will continue especially across northern and
  central Utah into Friday before gradually tapering off Friday
  evening.

- A closed low to our south the jet stream to our north will keep
  moisture to our north and south while we stay relatively dry
  with increasing temperatures through the weekend and most of
  next week.

&&

.DISCUSSION...A mean trough with several embedded shortwave
disturbances will continue to impact Utah through Friday. Showery
precipitation will continue through the night across mainly
northern and central Utah owing to one such disturbance rotating
near southwest Wyoming. These scattered showers will generally
have little impact on most lower valleys (where there is less
than a 50% chance of snow greater than 0.5 inches), although brief
slush ups will be possible under heavier showers. Models do
maintain some lake-enhanced showers affecting the western SL
Valley and the Tooele Valley overnight, where localized areas of
around 1 inch accumulation will be possible.

The showers will become increasingly confined to the mountains
through the day Friday. However, as the flow aloft trends more
north-northeasterly as the trough starts to split, expect the
best chance for showers will occur south of I-80. Over the next 24
hours, the 25th-75th percentile range for snow over the mountains
from I-80 to the Tushars is forecast to be 2-10 inches. The snow
will taper off Friday night as the northern branch of the split
trough exits the area while the southern split develops into a
closed low and heads for the Baja coast. However, this splitting
pattern will result in localized gap winds for Washington County,
with wind gusts approaching 45 mph Friday night.

A prolonged dry period looks to be in store for the area for the
weekend and beyond. High pressure will build in from the northwest
on Saturday, resulting in a gradual warming trend that will peak
around Monday, when the NBM has a high temperature in the mid to
upper 60s (25th-75th percentile) at SLC. The ridge will then trend
flatter by early next week. A series of low-amplitude troughs are
expected to cross ID/MT/WY during much of next week. At this time,
the northerly track of these storms look to keep any precipitation
north of the forecast area. However, gusty westerly winds across
far northern Utah and southwest Wyoming look like a good possibility
at this time, and potentially a dry cold front (timing TBD) will
work its way into Utah.

&&

.AVIATION...KSLC...Low-end VFR CIGS will persist through 10Z with
occasional snow showers reducing CIGS/VIS into the MVFR to IFR
categories. Gradual improvement is expected late tonight through
Friday morning as CIGS rise above 6 kft by midday Friday. Winds will
remain northwesterly through the TAF period, but could become
variable near passing showers overnight.

.REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...Occasional snow showers will
temporarily reduce CIGS/VIS into the IFR or even LIFR category
across northern Utah/southwest Wyoming TAF sites through 10Z.
Improvement to VFR conditions will follow late tonight through
Friday morning, with CIGS scattering out during the afternoon. Winds
across the area will remain predominantly northerly through
Friday.

&&

.SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
UT...Winter Weather Advisory until 5 AM MST Friday for UTZ108-118-119.

     Winter Weather Advisory until 5 PM MST Friday for UTZ110>113-117-
     125.

WY...Winter Weather Advisory until 5 AM MST Friday for WYZ021.

&&

$$

Cheng/Seaman

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