Good evening. This is Casey Olsen with the Utah Climate Center.
As someone who gets really antsy to ski this time of year, I've been watching the forecast maps extra closely beyond just what is required for my job. My heart began sinking faster than air under high pressure earlier this week, as I eagerly anticipated the next system, because the models began to show this system falling apart as it reached us.
We'll start the upcoming weekend with warm, southwesterly flow ahead of an upcoming cut off low. It's increasingly looking like this will phase with an atmospheric river off the west coast that could bring more moisture than I initially expected Saturday night into Sunday.
The split nature of the system means that it will be on the warmer side, with snow being limited to the higher peaks.
Right on the heels of this messy system will be another trough sweeping through the region Monday. These types of storms that split off like this are not uncommon for our region this time of year, but are difficult to predict as they kind of get a mind of their own.
A slight majority of the model suggest Monday system to be another messy split with warmer preset, but there is more uncertainty with this one. A more open wave pattern, like the others suggest, would drop these snow levels. I know what I'm wishing for, but this is not a wish cast.
We'll likely have a brief break mid next week before the storm action continues.
Northern temperatures will be warm in the 60s before dropping to the 50s Sunday. The South will see the first cool down as the storm reaches them earlier on Friday, dropping down to the 60s.
With the Utah Climate Center. I'm Casey Olsen.