Salt Lake City weather forecast
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The gist
Salt Lake City hit highs near 70 before heavy rain, a flood watch and mountain snow hit Utah.
A cold front drops highs into the low 50s before a drier weekend.
Background
The forecasts come from Utah's Weather Authority (the weather team at Fox 13 Salt Lake City), the ABC4 4Warn Weather team, the National Weather Service and the Storm Prediction Center (an agency that rates severe weather risk). After a sunny weekend with highs near 68-70 degrees in Salt Lake City, a cut-off low (a storm system cut off from the main weather flow) and a surge of deep tropical moisture moved into Utah midweek. That prompted a Flood Watch for central and southern Utah and severe-weather risk outlines for far southern Utah, before a cold front Thursday night pushed temperatures below average.
How it unfolded
- Oct 18, 2026Ample sunshine returns to northern Utah, with Salt Lake City expected to reach 70 degrees and a chance of a few showers down south.
- Oct 20, 2026A weak area of low pressure spins clouds into Utah, with wetter and cooler conditions forecast for late in the week.
- Oct 21, 2026A cut-off low brings periods of heavy rain, isolated severe storms and potential flash flooding to southern Utah; a Flood Watch covers parts of central and southern Utah through late Thursday, with 2 to 3 inches of rain possible.
- Oct 22, 2026Severe weather potential stretches into northern Utah; the cold front drops temperatures from the upper 60s and low 70s Thursday into the low 50s by Friday, with snow possibly mixing with rain as low as 8,000 feet.
- Oct 23, 2026Salt Lake City sees strong early winds, scattered showers and thunderstorms Friday; the National Weather Service says rain clears Saturday, with a small chance Sunday and mountain snow above 8,000 feet.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- The National Weather Service says rain will keep falling in Salt Lake City and then clear up the next day, with a small chance of rain on Sunday.
- Caution
- ABC4's 4Warn Weather team keeps a Flood Watch in effect for parts of central and southern Utah through late Thursday, with 2 to 3 inches of rain possible and far southern Utah at marginal to slight risk of severe weather.
- Analysts
- Utah's Weather Authority expects most valleys to see around 0.50 to 1.50 inches of precipitation through the week, with cooler air late Thursday into Friday possibly bringing accumulating mountain snow.
Still unverified
Utah's Weather Authority estimates 0.50 to 1.50 inches of precipitation through the week, with higher-elevation areas near 2 inches, and says several inches of snow are possible above 9,500 feet; ABC4 says a secondary low could bring showers and a few storms back to southeast Utah on Saturday.