Hazy skies and elevated fire threat this weekend

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Happy Pioneer Day weekend, Utah! Daytime highs will be similar to yesterday’s. That translates to temperatures in the low to mid 90s for most, 80s for cooler spots, and right around the triple digit range for the typical hot spots. Dry skies are expected with a mix of sun and clouds, but clearing throughout the weekend.

While weather conditions will be fairly pleasant overall, wildfire smoke is something we have our eyes on. The main producer of smoke is the Dragon Bravo fire in northern Arizona and the Monroe Fire near Richfield. We could see periods of patchy smoke or a faint haze along the Wasatch Range, but eastern Utah will be battling serious plumes of smoke. Shifting winds will push smoke out of western Utah by Saturday evening, so eastern Utah will stay locked in with thicker plumes of smoke, especially toward Castle Country and the southeast.

Southerly winds are amplifying, bringing breezy conditions to the Beehive State through the weekend. The dry breezy conditions are a recipe for and elevated fire threat, especially given how little rain we’ve received this month and the dried out vegetation. A Red Flag Warning goes into effect Saturday for nearly all of southern Utah, parts of the West Desert, and the vast majority of eastern Utah. Humidity is expected to fall well into the single digits with southwest winds up to 20 mph and gusts reaching 30-35 mph. 

On Monday things warm up into the mid and upper 90s while hot spots like St. George climb into the low to mid 100s. Temperatures stay fairly steady as we get through the next week. Rain chances continue to look bleak through the middle of next week. Increased signs are starting to point to a slightly better pattern for precipitation by late next week, but it’s still hard to say exactly where.

We’ll keep you updated on the latest developments in our 4Warn Weather forecast both on-air and online, we are Good4Utah!