Strong thunderstorms, flash flooding to impact Utah throughout the weekend

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — Happy Saturday, Utah! We’ve enjoyed vibrant blue skies for the past couple days, but a dramatic and soggy weather shift is underway.

The high pressure that’s been acting as a storm block is sliding to the east, opening the door for monsoonal moisture to come up from the south. Widespread storms will first impact southern Utah in the late morning and will continue to intensify into the afternoon as heat adds lift. Southerly winds push the moisture deep into the state, reaching the north by the afternoon. Scattered thunderstorms are in the cards across the Beehive State for the rest of the weekend.

Flash flooding will be a major concern over the weekend, especially in the south. Southwest to south-central Utah has the highest flash flooding risk. Areas like slot canyons, dry washes, burn scars, and other low-lying areas are particularly susceptible to flash flooding thanks to the nature of their water-funneling geography. Unfortunately, southern Utah’s outdoor recreation areas are defined by this geography. Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Staircase, Glen Canyon, and Capitol Reef are all in the “Probable” category for flash flood potential; other parks on the east side are in the “Possible” category. This is NOT the weekend to be outdoors in these flood-prone areas. Flash floods can occur with little to no warning even if it isn’t raining in your location.

The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for parts of southern Utah, including the southern mountains, Washington County, Zion, Upper Sevier River Valleys, central mountains, and the Wasatch Plateau/Book. The Watch is currently in effect from Saturday morning to evening, but it’s possible the Watch could expand to include more places and extend further into the weekend, we’ll see.

Moisture will help keep temperatures right around average if not a few degrees below. Daytime highs will be in the low 90s along the Wasatch Front with low 80s in the Wasatch Back. Things trend cooler southward with highs in the 80s for most and mid 90s for hot spots like St. George. We don’t see much fluctuation in the weather pattern throughout the weekend. Temperatures will stay about the same and so will the wet weather. The high pressure will retrograde back into the state on Tuesday which will again act as a storm block. That’ll give us a brief break before more unsettled weather approaches in the midweek.

We’ll keep tracking the movement of the storms and give you the latest updates in our 4Warn Weather forecast both on-air and online, we are Good4Utah!

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