Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Salt Lake City, UT
Issued by NWS Salt Lake City, UT
650 FXUS65 KSLC 080944 AFDSLC Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Salt Lake City UT 344 AM MDT Tue Jul 8 2025 .SYNOPSIS...High pressure will build over the Desert Southwest through the middle of the week, bringing dry and increasingly hot temperatures. A California trough will increase winds over the area Wednesday before moving through northern Utah late Wednesday into early Thursday, bringing some less warm temperatures. High pressure will rebuild thereafter, bringing another warming trend this weekend. && .SHORT TERM (Through 12Z/6AM Thursday)...High pressure remains centered over the Desert Southwest this morning, with a closed low parked just off the California coast. Utah and southwest Wyoming are continuing to see a dry and increasingly hot southwest flow as the ridge builds, allowing the warming trend to continue. High temperatures today are expected to average 10F above seasonal normals, putting 100F highs into play across several valleys of northern Utah, including portions of the Wasatch Front. Conditions will stay dry, but enough moisture and instability will exist for afternoon cumulus over the higher terrain and perhaps a few weak storms. The California low is expected to move onshore early Wednesday, opening up and weakening as it moves into the Great Basin during the afternoon hours. The proximity of the low will allow winds to pick up somewhat, particularly over western Utah, which will increase fire danger over the area. A Fire Weather Watch is in effect for Wednesday afternoon and evening. See the Fire Weather section of the AFD for more details. The weakened low is on track to eventually cross northern Utah late Wednesday into early Thursday. Given the lack of moisture and dynamics, little in the way of associated shower activity is anticipated. The main impact from the system will on temperatures Thursday, primarily for northern portions of the area. .LONG TERM (After 12Z/6AM Thursday)...A dry and increasingly hot pattern is expected in the long term period. An active jet stream across interior Canada with a ridge centered over southern California will keep a dry westerly/northwesterly flow in place during the long term period. This will keep skies mostly clear with light diurnally driven winds at the surface through early next week. Temperatures will gradually warm as the week progresses as temperatures aloft gradually increase. Across far southern Utah, temperatures will stay very hot, given the closer proximity to the ridge. Temperatures each day across lower Washington county will be between 105-108F. By early next week temperatures will return to the upper 90s to low 100s for central and northern Utah. && .AVIATION...KSLC...VFR conditions will persist for the KSLC terminal through the period. Dry conditions with clear skies will continue as winds will be light out of the south with a transition to light northerlies in the afternoon. .REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...VFR conditions will persist for the entire airspace through the period. Dry conditions with mostly clear skies will continue as winds will be relatively light and diurnally driven. && .FIRE WEATHER...Building high pressure over the Desert Southwest will allow the ongoing warming trend to continue today, with high temperatures averaging 10F above normal for this time of year as conditions remain dry. Similarly hot conditions are anticipated for Wednesday, with winds picking up as a low off the California coast moves inland. The combination of increasing winds and low relative humidity is expected to produce areas of critical fire weather conditions during the afternoon and evening across portions of western and southern Utah. The trough is then expected to cross northern Utah late Wednesday into Thursday in a weakened state, bringing little in the way of moisture but decreasing winds and bringing temperatures back to near normal for this time of year by Thursday. High pressure is expected to rebuild thereafter, bringing another warming trend by the weekend. && .SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UT...Fire Weather Watch from Wednesday afternoon through Wednesday evening for UTZ492-493-495>498. WY...None. && $$ SHORT TERM/FIRE WEATHER...Traphagan LONG TERM/AVIATION...Mahan For more information from NOAA`s National Weather Service visit... http://weather.gov/saltlakecity