Hot and hazy weekend continues with increasing showers Labor Day

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — Happy Sunday, Utah! An increase in southerly flow today will help temperatures warm up from Saturday.

Daytime highs will be in the mid 90s for the Wasatch Front with triple digit heat for St. George. Most areas will experience temperatures roughly 5 degrees above average today with cooling temperatures through midweek. On top of the above-average temperatures, air quality will continue to be a concern for the northern half of the state today, improving over the first half of the week. The increase in southerly flow is thanks to an approaching cold front that will clip northern Utah on Labor Day.

While the temperatures may be great for hiking and boating, the conditions may not be. Monsoon moisture is creeping back into the state over the Arizona-Utah border. Southern Utah can expect more isolated thunderstorms again today, but it should be clearing out for the most part on Labor Day. Northern Utah will be flip-flopped with dry conditions over the weekend and an uptick in thunderstorms on Monday into Tuesday. While storms could be seen anywhere in the Beehive State over the weekend, they will favor higher terrain. With the dry air we’ve seen near the surface, some valleys could see virga, which means the rain evaporates before hitting the ground. Dry lightning and erratic gusty winds are not out of the question. Apart from afternoon and evening thunderstorms, it’ll be a mix of sun and clouds.

Smoke from Idaho wildfires has been ushered into the state on a northerly wind heading into the weekend, but as the winds shift, the smoke will dissipate. Northern and central Utah will be waking up to hazy skies, but it’ll gradually clear throughout the day. Air quality in the north will be “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” for much of the Wasatch Front and into Utah and Cache Valleys, and “Moderate” elsewhere. This is in part thanks to particulate matter in the smoke, but ozone will also contribute. Ozone levels are expected to increase with the heat of the day, which can be harmful to sensitive lungs.

If you’re planning on visiting any outdoor recreation areas, make sure you stay weather-aware! Today we’ll see storms form over some of the National and State Parks including the Mighty Five. Flash flood potential is ‘Possible’ for Bryce Canyon and Grand Staircase-Escalante for today, expanding to Capitol Reef National Park and Zion National Park on Labor Day. A ‘Possible’ rating means that some slot canyons, dry washes, and small streams may experience flash flooding. Always check the latest conditions before recreating in these areas.

The best chance of storms will mainly be Monday evening through Tuesday, as the cold front moves through. The moisture will clear out as the trough lifts northeast. A cool and dry northwesterly flow over northern Utah through Wednesday will help drop temperatures to roughly 5 degrees below normal, this means low to mid 80s are forecast up north by the afternoon. High pressure returning for the rest of the week will allow for temperatures to climb slightly above average once again for the weekend.

Bottom Line?! South flow will keep temperatures above average through Labor Day, isolated thunderstorms on Labor Day for northern Utah.

Have a safe Labor Day weekend and make sure you’re up-to-date on the latest weather developments. We’ll keep you posted on the latest developments in our 4Warn Weather forecast both on-air and online, we are Good4Utah!

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