


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Salt Lake City, UT
Issued by NWS Salt Lake City, UT
153 FXUS65 KSLC 040948 AFDSLC Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Salt Lake City UT 348 AM MDT Mon Aug 4 2025 .SYNOPSIS...A hot and very dry southwest flow will set up across the region through much of the week. A dry cold front may bring some relief by the weekend. && .SHORT TERM (THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY)...The axis of the upper ridge has shifted east into Colorado overnight, allowing southwest flow aloft to become established over Utah this morning. A shortwave trough noted over Oregon will graze far northwest Utah late this afternoon through this evening as it ejects northeast. This trough will largely remain dry, but will help bring enhanced southwest winds to Utah ahead of it. Widespread breezy conditions will combine with the dry airmass in place to result in critical fire weather conditions across the bulk of the forecast area today. The shortwave trough will push a shallow, dry, cold front into northwest Utah this evening. Temperatures across the north will trend slightly downward tonight and tomorrow as a result. Additionally, winds across northern Utah will be a bit weaker tomorrow behind the departing trough, but remain breezy across central and southern Utah, maintaining critical fire weather conditions there. .LONG TERM (After 12Z/6AM Wednesday)...Conditions will stay warm, dry, and windy Wednesday. A strong ridge of high pressure will be positioned to the southeast while a broad west to southwest synoptic flow stays in place for much of the west. Winds will be similar to prior in the week throughout southwest Wyoming and Utah, with gusts generally ranging from 20-30 mph much of the afternoon. The enhanced southwest flow will be dry, with minimum relative humidity values in the single digits to teens. The combination of gusty winds and low relative humidity will bring high fire danger. Valley high temperatures will be in the mid or upper 90s for much of Utah, with low 100s around Lake Powell and around 105F for lower Washington County. Minimal change will come Thursday with high pressure to the southeast. A longwave trough will dig into the PacNW, which will transition winds a bit more to the west. Temperatures will likely cool slightly for southwest Wyoming and northern Utah and warm slightly for the remainder of Utah. The longwave trough will track into southwest Wyoming and Utah Friday. There is uncertainty in precise timing, but high confidence in a dry baroclinic zone tracking in from the north. The longwave trough will graze to the north, with the most cooling for southwest Wyoming and roughly the northern half of Utah. That will result in cooler conditions with lighter winds for locations north of the boundary, with more dry, windy conditions further south. Valley high temperatures for Saturday will generally be in the mid or upper 80s for locations where the front will track through, while southern portions of Utah will have high temperatures in excess of 100F. && .AVIATION...KSLC...Light southeast winds will increase, with gusts around 20 knots from 15-19Z. Winds will transition to northwest with lighter speeds around 20Z with scattered high clouds. Clouds will clear through the evening with northwest winds transitioning to southeast around 04Z. .REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...Mostly clear conditions with relatively light winds will last through around 15Z. South to southwest winds will increase after 15Z, with gusts from 20-30 knots throughout southwest Wyoming and much of Utah through 03Z. Scattered high clouds will build in by 18Z, then clear through the evening. && .FIRE WEATHER...Southwest flow will settle over Utah today and remain in place through late week. A weak but dry weather disturbance grazing northwest Utah this evening will bring increased winds to much of the area this afternoon and evening. Combined with very low relative humidities into the single digits in many areas this afternoon along with poor overnight recovery, this will result in widespread critical fire weather conditions. Winds will decrease across the north tomorrow but remain breezy across central and southern Utah, maintaining critical fire weather conditions in those areas. Midlevel moisture is expected to increase somewhat across southern and eastern Utah mid to late week. Relative humidities should recover slightly with the moisture. While afternoon humidities may increase to around 15% or higher in the mountains during the second half of the week, valleys will likely continue to see low humidities which should allow critical fire weather conditions to continue through late week. A dry cold front may cross the region Saturday, with winds trending weaker behind it. && .SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UT...Red Flag Warning from noon today to 9 PM MDT this evening for UTZ478-479-481. Red Flag Warning from noon today to 9 PM MDT Wednesday for UTZ483-484-488-489-492-494-495-497-498. Red Flag Warning from noon today to 9 PM MDT Tuesday for UTZ482- 493-496. WY...Red Flag Warning from noon today to 8 PM MDT this evening for WYZ277. && $$ Cheng/Wilson For more information from NOAA`s National Weather Service visit... http://weather.gov/saltlakecity