SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Happy Monday, Utah! Warmer temperatures and a critical fire threat push further north today.
Today’s weather: Warming up
Temperatures in Southern Utah should be about the same as yesterdays with highs in the low to mid 80s for most, and mid to upper 90s for the typical hot spots. On the other hand, Northern Utah will warm up by about 5-10 degrees, topping out in the mid to upper 80s for the Wasatch Front and mid 70s to low 80s for mountain valleys.
Moisture will begin filling into the upper atmosphere through the late afternoon, bringing increasing cloud coverage in the evening.
Fire risk: Red Flag warnings in effect
While cloud coverage will begin to increase, the air near the surface will be dry with relative humidity in the single digits and teens across the state. This is one of the contributors to the “Critical” fire risk today. All of Southern and Central Utah will be under the “Critical” category, with the fire threat tapering off from about Provo northward, but there will still be the risk in the north as well.
Red Flag Warnings are in effect for Southern, Central, and a large portion of Eastern Utah. The National Weather Service calls for sustained southwesterly winds of 20-30 mph with gusts at 40-50 mph. Relative humidity will likely remain in the single digits, ranging from 6-12%.
Get the latest Salt Lake City weather forecasts. View live doppler radar, & closings from the ABC4 Utah weather team.
The Red Flag Warning is slated to expire at 10 pm Tuesday but will likely be extended. Fire Weather Watches are in place for these same areas through Wednesday, which will likely evolve into Red Flag Warnings as we get closer. The fire threat doesn’t seem to back off of Southern Utah through possibly Saturday.
Looking ahead: Isolated showers and cooler
As we get into Tuesday, we’ll see the fire threat diminish in Northern Utah thanks to the aforementioned increasing moisture. A system will graze to the north of us, throwing cooler temperatures and some precipitation into the northernmost parts of the state…