Heavy Snow in Utah, March 26 to 27, 2003

UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
1110 AM MST WED MAR 26 2003

.SYNOPSIS...A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA
THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING. A COLD NORTHERLY FLOW WILL
FOLLOW THE FRONT AND REMAIN OVER THE AREA THROUGH FRIDAY.

.DISCUSSION...A BOUNDARY OF RAIN COOLED AIR SLIPPED INTO THE NORTHERN
PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS MORNING GENERATED BY THE WIDESPREAD
PRECIP OVER THE NORTHERN ZONES. THIS HAS MOVED BACK NORTHWARD
SOMEWHAT IN RESPONSE TO THE INTENSIFYING LOW ALONG THE COLD FRONT
THAT IS NOW MOVING INTO NORTHWEST UT. THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO
SURGE SOUTHWARD TODAY...REACHING SLC BY 20Z AND CDC BY ABOUT 03Z.
ALTHO STRONG SOUTH WINDS HAVE DEVELOPED AHEAD OF THIS FRONT...DONT
REALLY EXPECT WIDESPREAD ADVISORY LEVEL SPEEDS. THE WINDS BEHIND THE
FRONT SHOULD BE STRONGER HOWEVER...BUT WILL BE MAINLY OVER THE WEST
DESERT. SO HAVE CANCELED THE WIND ADVISORY FOR THE TOOELE VALLEY
AND LEFT IT UP FOR THE SALT FLATS...BUT WORDED THE STATEMENT TO
INDICATE THAT THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE POST-FRONTAL.

THE WIDESPREAD PRECIP OVER THE NORTH IS FALLING AS SNOW DOWN TO
ABOUT THE 6000 FOOT LEVEL...SO HAVE REVISED THE HEAVY SNOW WARNING
FOR THESE NORTHERN MTN ZONES TO START RIGHT AWAY. REST OF THE
WARNINGS LOOK REASONABLE THO WE WILL LIKELY NEED ADDITIONAL SNOW
HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE MTN ZONE NOT ALREADY INCLUDED AND SOUTHWEST
WY. THESE CAN GO WITH THE AFTERNOON PACKAGE.

JET STREAK ROUNDING THE BASE OF THE DEVELOPING TROF IS ADDING TO THE
LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT SO EXPECT A GOOD BURST OF PRECIP AS
IT MOVES THRU. PRECIP SHOULD SHUT DOWN PRETTY QUICKLY BEHIND IT
THIS EVE BUT WILL REDEVELOP OVER THE NORTH LATER TONIGHT AND THU AS
THE COLD UNSTABLE AIRMASS SPREADS IN. THIS WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY
HEAVY SNOW IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW FAVORED AREAS OF THE NRN MTNS
AND COULD EVEN SET OFF THE LAKE.

UPDATED FORECASTS TO ADJUST WINDS AND PRECIP FOR MOST NORTHERN
ZONES. REST OF PACKAGE ALLOWED TO RIDE AS IS.

SLC 787  CDC 254  WILENSKY

.SLC...HEAVY SNOW WARNING THRU THIS EVNG IDZ025-UTZ007
    ...HEAVY SNOW WARNING THIS AFTN THRU THURSDAY MRNG
       UTZ008-009
    ...HEAVY SNOW WARNING CNTRL MTNS TONIGHT THRU THURSDAY MRNG
       UTZ017
    ...WIND ADVISORY SALT FLATS THIS AFTERNOON THRU
       EARLY EVNG UTZ005.

IDZ024-025-UTZ001>021-WYZ021-271400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
700 AM MST WED MAR 26 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WESTERN TWO-THIRDS OF
UTAH...EXTREME SOUTHEAST IDAHO AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST WYOMING

.DAY ONE... TODAY

A COLD FRONT WILL REACH NORTHWEST UTAH THIS AFTERNOON...THEN SWEEP
ACROSS THE STATE BY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING.  SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED WITH THE FRONT ARE EXPECTED...AS ARE
STRONG WINDS OVER THE WESTERN VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINS.  AREAS OF HEAVY
SNOW ARE POSSIBLE BEHIND THE FRONT INTO THURSDAY MORNING...ESPECIALLY
OVER THE MOUNTAINS. NUMEROUS WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT
RELATED TO THIS APPROACHING STORM.  DETAILS ON THIS STORM CAN BE
FOUND IN THE LATEST WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY (SLCWSWSLC).

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

SNOW SHOWERS AND MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES WILL COVER MUCH OF THE
STATE THURSDAY.  LOCALLY HEAVY SNOWFALLS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY.  HIGH PRESSURE WILL
RETURN FOR THE WEEKEND BRINGING DRY CONDITIONS AND WARMER
TEMPERATURES STATEWIDE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE.

WCJIN-WYSW