Area Forecast Discussion

KEY MESSAGES, Issued 959 PM MST Tue Nov 3 2026

- A weak system traverses the Great Basin on Wednesday bringing light valley rain and high elevation snowfall to northern and central Utah.

- A second weak storm system may graze northern Utah on Friday before high pressure builds for the weekend.

DISCUSSION, Issued 959 PM MST Tue Nov 3 2026

Weak high pressure has shifted east of the area this evening as a Pacific storm system moves into the Great Basin. Clouds are already streaming into the area and will increase overnight. The system is expected to track across Utah and southwest Wyoming during the day tomorrow, dropping temperatures to up to 10F below seasonal normals and bringing some generally light showers to primarily northern and central Utah. The limiting factors for precip will be the progressive nature of the system as well as the lack of moisture associated with the system, particularly compared to the systems that have been impacting the area as of late.

Weak ridging is expected to move back over the area for Thursday, but guidance is indicating that a weak grazing shortwave will act to temporarily flatten the ridge and perhaps bring a few showers near the Utah/Idaho border. As that wave moves through, guidance is becoming increasingly confident that a ridge will develop off the Pacific coast before moving across Utah and southwest Wyoming for the weekend. This will bring dry conditions and a steady warming trend in temperatures, with maxes expected to move above seasonal normals by Sunday afternoon.

Uncertainty in the forecast increases quite a bit for next week. With the ridge not expected to stick around, there is potential for storm systems to move onshore and bring impacts to the forecast area. However, there is quite a bit of spread in the guidance with regard to the details of any particular system, with some models showing high pressure returning for the middle to latter part of next week.

AVIATION

KSLC...VFR conditions will persist for the KSLC terminal through the period. Dry conditions will persist overnight before a weak storm moves through during the day tomorrow with lowered CIGs and brief light rain showers with mountain snow and obscuration. Light northerly winds will transition to light southerlies overnight before a return to light northerlies during the day tomorrow.

REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...Mostly VFR conditions will persist for the entire airspace through the period. Dry conditions overnight will give way to isolated showers during the day across the central and northern airspace as a weak storm moves through. Mountain snow and lowered CIGs will result in mountain obscuration. Winds will be light and diurnally driven.

SLC WATCHES / WARNINGS / ADVISORIES

UT...None. WY...None.