SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Happy Mother’s Day weekend, Utah! Our Mother’s Day weekend delivers a warming trend with wet weather potential.
A warming trend is underway, and that means temperatures today will top out in the 60s and 70s in the northern half of the state as the Wasatch Front gets upper 60s and low to mid-70s with mountain valleys ranging in the 50s and 60s.
Lower Washington County and St. George are expected to hit the low and mid-80s again. With temperatures climbing above average, flooding concerns remain for the weekend. As of yesterday, we have gone through 49% of our snow water equivalent — dropping from a record 30″ the first week of April to 15.5″ on May 12th. There are active flood alerts and for more information, check the bottom of this article.
Our unsettled pattern is ushering in the chance of a few showers and thunderstorms, mostly in the high country, but some valley activity is expected under partly cloudy skies. This is thanks to an increasingly likely Rex Block Pattern. This means that an upper-level high pressure will set up shop to our north allowing for a few systems to undercut it. For us, that will mean both days over the weekend will bring the potential for scattered showers and thunderstorms. Neither day is expected to be a washout, but if you have any outdoor plans, keep tabs on the weather just in case!
By Mother’s Day into early next week, we could be looking at daytime highs near 80 along the Wasatch Front with highs in the low 90s in St. George. We also could see the chance of some gusty canyon winds along the Wasatch Front, so this is something we will monitor throughout the week. Easterly downslope winds are a possibility along the Wasatch Front Saturday into Sunday.
The warm and unsettled pattern will persist through the first half of next week as we hold onto some moisture potential as daytime highs run roughly 5-15 degrees above seasonal norms.
FLOOD ALERTS
Even with the more seasonal temperatures recently, our flood concerns continue with multiple flood watches and warnings. We currently have 3 river flood warnings in effect. The warning for the Bear River in Rich County will remain in effect through next Monday. The flood warning for the Sevier River near Hatch and the flood warning for the South Fork of the Ogden River near Huntsville remain in effect until further notice.
A Flood Advisory is in effect for Blacksmith Fork River near Hyrum affecting Cache County with the flow projected to stay above the action stage. The Bear River near Corrine is also under an advisory as farmland and roads see minor flooding near Corinne.
We also have a flood watch for Little Bear River below the Hyrum Dam. For context a flood warning means that flooding is either occurring now or is expected, an advisory means that the waterway is above the action stage with the potential for flooding. A watch means that flooding is possible. Even for waterways not in alert, they will continue running high, fast, cold, and extremely dangerous as our snowpack melts and water is released from reservoirs. Be sure to keep a safe distance from raging waters.
Stay on top of Utah’s changing weather and flood concerns with Utah’s Most Accurate Forecast both on-air and online. We are Good4Utah!
