Windy Days

TLDR; A moisture-starved shortwave trough will pass with favorable dynamics missing just north of northern Utah today leaving the central Wasatch with a chance of 0-2'' of snowfall. A ridge will move overhead after the passing of today's shortwave. 

NOWCAST: Temperatures are currently 15 F at Brighton and 22 F at the base of Alta. Winds at the top of Mt Blady have already reported 37 mph with max gusts of 58 mph. Northwest winds will strengthen and become more Westerly throughout the day.

(Mt Baldy, Alta Mesowest: https://mesowest.utah.edu/)

Short-Term Forecast: Daytime high temperatures will be capped today and tomorrow due to a cold front associated with the passing of a shortwave trough. If you plan on being on any ridgelines today, be prepared to find strong winds. Ridgelines at 11,000' could see sustained winds of 40-55 mph with 85 mph wind gusts. Resort skiing will feel "breezy" today with base height winds of 10-20 mph and gusts well over 30 mph. Wind chill values will be hovering around 0 degrees with negative values being a possibility. These winds will strengthen into the night causing wind chill values to drop well below zero. Sadly, this shortwave seems to be moisture starved and its best dynamics are to the north, meaning we are praying for 2" of snow maximum. More likely a trace amount to 1" will fall. The figure below shows 500mb vorticity barely scrapping northern Utah. Ideally, you want to be out ahead of vorticity maximums for the best dynamics and instability.

(500mb Vort and Wind, Tropical Tidbits: https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/)

Long-Term Forecast: A trough will develop into a cutoff low and pass to our south Saturday, pushing out any ridging in the region. This will stop an inversion from building up like this past week. Hints at a storm next Tuesday-Wednesday are in the works but we will need to wait before getting excited. Superbowl Sunday looks like it will be a great day to barbeque! Here's what the upper atmosphere(500mb) will look like 30 minutes after kickoff. Looks dry with calm conditions, partly cloudy skies, and temperatures in the upper 30s. 

(Utah Weather Center: https://weather.utah.edu/)