Unsettled pattern makes for cooler start for Northern Utah, fire risk down south

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – A passing system will bring showers to northern Utah this morning while southern Utah will see an increased fire risk with dry and windy conditions.

Happy Tuesday, Utah! Pockets of thunderstorms and showers for the Wasatch Front and Back will start the day but will clear by the afternoon. By noon today, the showers and storms will be tracking through the Uinta Basin. By the afternoon, we will dry out and settle along the Wasatch Front.

Not everyone finds wet weather, though, with daytime highs that come in at or even a little below the seasonal average with a northerly flow behind the front. Most in northern Utah will see a high in the 70s and 80s with mid- to upper-80s along the Wasatch Front. Southern Utah will see mainly 80s and 90s. A few spots like St. George, Lake Powell, and Hanksville will see temperatures near or just above the century mark.

Meanwhile, the moisture won’t make it down to southern Utah. What we will see though will be increased winds combined with low relative humidity — meaning there will be a critical fire risk. A Red Flag Warning is currently in effect for Grand and San Juan counties, but by tomorrow we’ll see it in place from south-central Utah up through the Staircase into the western Canyonlands. In these areas, it’s important to be mindful of the fire risk, avoid any outdoor burning, follow local fire restrictions, and secure loose chains on vehicles.

Heading into the middle of the week, the low pressure moves away and we’ll see a few more changes in our weather. High pressure to our south will move a bit to allow more of a southerly flow, resulting in increasing monsoon moisture for southern Utah while temperatures rise to near seasonal norms.

The second half of the workweek will bring the potential for showers and thunderstorms to southern Utah with highs a little below average while northern Utah will stay mostly dry. We could see a bit of moisture make it into northern Utah by Thursday into Friday. By the weekend it looks like the monsoon moisture will dwindle resulting in mostly dry skies and average temperatures.