SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Happy Thursday, Utah! After an unsettled, midweek most of the state will see calmer conditions today.
The bottom line? Storm tracks east and allows for slightly calmer conditions with a warmer pattern ahead.
A few lingering showers in northern and northeastern Utah will be possible today with wrap-around moisture as the storm system moves to the east. Wet weather will mainly favor the higher terrain with the core of this system east of the state. Outside of that, most will see mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies with daytime highs ranging in the 60s and 70s across the state. We will hover right around season norms for today, but this is the beginning of a gradual warming trend through the end of the weekend and into next week.
As we round out the workweek and move into the weekend, we’ll be looking at predominately dry skies as temperatures begin to climb. A ridge of high pressure builds for a few days which means drier conditions and a warming trend in both northern and southern Utah. By the end of the weekend, 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, and a retrograding low could bring back the potential of unsettled conditions and the chance of active skies for Mother’s Day and into next week.
The reason? It’s becoming more and more likely a Rex Block pattern will set up. A rex block pattern is an atmospheric block and typically means a large area of high pressure is stacked on top of an area of low pressure. In this instance, high pressure would be set up to our north (reaching all the way into Canada!), allowing for a few systems to undercut it. For us, that could result in monsoon-like weather with above-average warmth and wet weather potential.
Stay tuned!
FLOOD ALERTS
Even with the more seasonal temperatures, our flood concerns continue with multiple flood watches and warnings.
We currently have five river flood warnings in effect. The warning for the Bear River in Rich County will remain in effect through next Monday. The warning for the Dolores River near Cisco has been extended until 6 p.m. Saturday. The flood warnings for the Bear River near Corinne, the south fork of the Ogden River near Huntsville, and the Sevier River near Hatch remain in effect until further notice. For most of these rivers, minor flooding is forecast, but moderate flooding is projected for the Dolores River.
A Flood Advisory is also now in effect for Blacksmith Fork River near Hyrum affecting Cache County with the flow projected to stay above action stage. Warm temperatures will continue to melt high mountain snowpack and increase river flows in this area, so use caution when around waterways.
A flood watch has been issued for the Green River near Jensen affecting Eastern Uinta Basin. The potential for a rain-on-snow event may lead to accelerated snowmelt and a period of high runoff.
Quickly rising rivers may reach critical levels by Saturday afternoon, with high water possible through Monday. We also have flood watches for Little Bear River below the Hyrum Dam and a watch remains in effect for the lower Weber River near Plain City.
A flood watch means flooding is possible while a flood warning means that flooding is occurring now or is imminent. 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!
