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Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Salt Lake City, UT
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FXUS65 KSLC 172200
AFDSLC

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Salt Lake City UT
400 PM MDT Wed Apr 17 2024

.SYNOPSIS...Mostly clear, dry, and warmer than normal conditions
are forecast Thursday into the weekend.

&&

.SHORT TERM (Through 12Z Friday)...A relatively dry cold front
tracked into southwest Wyoming and northern Utah early Wednesday.
Light precipitation, generally less than 0.1", was recorded at
higher elevation sites in the Bear River Range, while valley
precipitation near the Idaho border was light. Elsewhere
throughout southwest Wyoming and northern Utah, a trace or no
precipitation was recorded. Precipitation has tapered off as the
front loses dynamic support, with its main trough tracking into
the northern plains.

Northwest winds have gusted to more than 40 mph throughout the
western Uinta Basin and to around 40 mph in the west deserts.
Gusty winds will taper off through the evening for most of Utah.
Winds will stay enhanced throughout northwest Utah into early
Thursday as a stronger surface pressure gradient slides in from
the northwest.

Models show frontolysis, with little indication of a cold front
by later Thursday. Sunny conditions are forecast through the day,
with near normal temperatures throughout southwest Wyoming and
northern Utah. Temperatures around 10F warmer than normal are
forecast for southern Utah.

.LONG TERM (After 12Z Friday)...Consistency remains between
guidance runs depicting a dry zonal pattern over the CWA through
the long term period. With this pattern, H7 temperatures will
gradually warm resulting in surface temperatures rising to 10-15
degrees above climo for this time of year by early next week. A
weak shortwave over the weekend will keep temperatures closer to
normal for northern and central Utah, but this modified air is
unlikely to make it into southern Utah where temperatures will
remain in the low to mid 80s for areas in lower Washington county
and the Lake Powell region. Some isolated diurnally driven showers
could result from the shortwave across the high terrain of
central Utah, but little to no measurable precipitation is
expected.

There are currently no ensemble members producing measurable
precipitation across the region until Wednesday next week when we
have the chance for a trough to move through the region. But even
this feature is uncertain given that over half the ensemble members
don`t depict this trough materializing by midweek. The latest CPC
guidance does indicate that a more active pattern could return for
the last week of April as probabilities slightly favor above average
precipitation.

&&

.AVIATION...KSLC...VFR conditions will persist through the TAF
period. Northerly winds, gusty at times, will persist into tonight.
By early Thursday morning, roughly 10-16Z time frame, winds will
likely become light and variable for a period, and may briefly
switch to very light southerly (less than 5 knots). However,
northerly winds will quickly resume Thursday and persist through the
afternoon and early evening again.


.REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...A dry cold front will stall
over central Utah tonight. South of the boundary, gusty at times
west-southwesterly winds will persist for CDC, SGU, BCE. However
north of the front, northerly winds, gusty at times will dominate
through much of the TAF period. Occasional few/scattered mid/high
level clouds expected along the frontal boundary but VFR conditions
are expected to prevail.

&&

.SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
UT...None.
WY...None.

&&

$$

SHORT TERM...Wilson
LONG TERM...Mahan
AVIATION...Church

For more information from NOAA`s National Weather Service visit...
http://weather.gov/saltlakecity
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office
