SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4) — The bottom line? A seasonal day to close out the workweek with mostly dry skies ahead of a Mother’s Day weekend warm-up with wet weather potential.
Happy Friday, Utah! The weather today will build off of what we had yesterday! Predominately conditions are expected with mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies as daytime highs climb close to/slightly above our seasonal averages.
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 70s with mountain valleys ranging in the 50s and 60s. Lower Washington County and St. George temperatures are expected to hit the low and mid-80s again.
The difference today in comparison to yesterday is the slight chance of moisture. We have a slight chance to see a few showers and thunderstorms in the high country, but most stay dry under mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies.
A warming trend is underway, and temperatures will warm up even more into the Mother’s Day weekend as we move into a bit of an unsettled pattern. 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 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 action stage with the potential for flooding, and a watch means that flooding is possible. Even for waterways not in alerts, they will continue to run high, fast, cold, and extremely dangerous as our snowpack melts and as water is released from reservoirs. Be sure to keep a safe distance from raging waters.
Stay on top of all of Utah’s changing weather and flood concerns with Utah’s Most Accurate Forecast both on-air and online. We are Good4Utah!
