SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Happy Wednesday, Utah! It’s another day of wash, rinse, repeat for the Beehive State. Hot and mainly dry conditions persist along the northern 1/3 of the state while monsoonal showers and thunderstorms remain possible elsewhere. 

Bottom Line?! Flash flood concerns increase to probable for all southern recreational areas today, and heavy rains are expected. 

Temperatures will be slightly above normal up north with mid to upper 90s expected along the Wasatch Front, with 80s and 90s for many locations except for St. George where a high of around 101 degrees is expected. 

With continued thunderstorms in the forecast for southern Utah, flash flooding remains a concern for all national park and monument areas. On days where flash flooding is probable, it’s best to avoid backcountry hikes, especially ones that involve slot canyons, dry washes, and burn scars.

On Thursday, the same overall setup of high pressure to the east of us and a low-pressure system to the southwest that doesn’t move much along the coast of California, allowing for moisture to move continually northward. This low-pressure system will eventually move away to the east later in the week due to two other systems: a low-pressure area developing over British Columbia and a tropical system moving north along the Baja California region.

This tropical system is likely to bring more moisture into our area on Sunday and Monday. Overall placement of the heaviest bands of moisture is still uncertain at this point, however, significant rainfall is expected along portions of western, primarily southwest, Utah. 

In northern Utah, storm potential will increase through the end of the week with isolated storms Thursday and Friday.  More numerous thunderstorms are expected over the weekend with the greatest threat over the higher terrain. 

As for the temperatures, they will be cooling down. On Thursday, temperatures will be a bit warmer than usual, but by Sunday, they could be much colder than normal. In southern Utah, temperatures might even be 20 degrees lower than what’s typical for this time of year. Stay tuned.