Dry thunderstorms and gusty outflow winds have put parts of Salt Lake County and southern Utah on high alert, with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issuing a Red Flag Warning through 11 PM MDT this evening. Salt Lake County Emergency Management is urging residents to use extreme caution, warning that in these conditions, a single spark can quickly turn into a major wildfire.
What the Warning Covers and Why It Is Dangerous
The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City reports that widely scattered dry thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and evening. The agency warns that gusty, erratic outflow winds near storms can rapidly spread spot fires across multiple fire weather zones, according to the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City.
Dry thunderstorms create lightning with little meaningful rainfall, so strikes can ignite dry grasses and brush without enough moisture to slow the flames. Thunderstorm outflow winds can produce strong gusts that can carry embers and increase the chances that a small ignition becomes a large blaze, according to NOAA Ready.
How to Stay Safe
Salt Lake County Emergency Management shared the Red Flag Warning on X, urging people to “exercise extreme caution” and repeating that a single spark can cause a major wildfire, according to Salt Lake County Emergency Management. Residents are advised to stay alert to rapidly changing weather and fire conditions and to avoid any activities that could produce sparks while the warning is in effect.
State and federal land managers have expanded Stage 1 fire restrictions across many public lands in northern and central Utah, limiting open campfires and some spark-producing activities on managed lands, the Bureau of Land Management and the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands report. Officials urge the public to check local land manager pages and the state’s fire information site for details about what is restricted in specific areas…