Wet weather lingers in northern Utah bringing potential afternoon thunderstorms
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Happy Tuesday, Utah! We’re coming out of Labor Day weekend with more wet weather on deck. Ample moisture is lingering across the state which will spell partly cloudy skies and afternoon thunderstorms for most, but southern Utah should remain dry.
The bottom line? More thunderstorms today have severe potential for northern and central Utah. Strong microburst winds and dry lightning elevate the fire risk.
The focus will be on the spine of the state along the mountain ridges, but thunderstorms will be seen across the West Desert and into the Wasatch Front. A weak cold front will skim northern Utah this afternoon which will knock temperatures back a few degrees. Daytime highs will run in the upper 80s to low 90s for most, mid to upper 90s in warm spots, and low 80s in cooler spots.
The incoming cold front will also contribute to thunderstorms by taking advantage of the excess moisture, forcing the wet warm air up to feed strong thunderstorms. Severe thunderstorms will be possible for northern and central Utah. Hail will be possible, but the main concern will be powerful microburst winds.
Drier air near the surface means precipitation will evaporate before reaching the ground in some storms, which means dry lightning. The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for most of the West Desert and the Wasatch Front/Mountains until midnight tonight. Dry lightning could ignite new fires while gusty erratic wind gusts of 45-plus mph will fan the flames of existing fires.
A strong ridge will take control of the weather pattern by midweek bringing dry stable conditions and warming temperatures. We can expect sunny skies through the workweek with temperatures warming from the mid-80s on Wednesday to the low 90s by Friday. We have our eyes on another system slated to move through this weekend, but it’s too far out to say where it wants to go for certain.
We’ll keep you posted on the latest updates in our 4Warn Weather forecast both on-air and online, we are Good4Utah!
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