Thunderstorms could bring microburst winds, damaging hail to central and northern Utah

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) – Happy Tuesday, Utah! Active weather continues for the Beehive State this afternoon as low pressure to the north drives in moist and unstable air.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to remain a threat for much of the state with the exception of far southern Utah which should remain dry. The focus will be on the spine of the state along the mountain ridges, but thunderstorms will be seen across the West Desert and into the Wasatch Front.

A weak cold front will skim northern Utah which will knock temperatures back a few degrees into Wednesday. Daytime highs will run in the upper 80s to low 90s for most, mid to upper 90s in warm spots, and low 80s in cooler spots.

The incoming cold front will also contribute to thunderstorms by taking advantage of the excess moisture, generating prime conditions for thunderstorms. We have a risk of isolated severe thunderstorms for northern and central Utah. Hail will be possible, but the main concern will be powerful microburst winds. Wind gusts in excess of 58 mph are considered to be severe with hailstorms around 1 inch in diameter.

Drier air near the surface means precipitation will evaporate before reaching the ground in some storms, which means dry lightning. The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for most of the West Desert and the Wasatch Front/Mountains until midnight tonight. Dry lightning could ignite new fires while gusty erratic wind gusts of 45+ mph will fan the flames of existing fires.

A strong ridge will take control of the weather pattern by midweek bringing dry stable conditions and warming temperatures. We can expect sunny skies through the workweek with temperatures warming from the mid-80s on Wednesday to the low 90s by Friday. We have our eyes on another system slated to move through this weekend, but it’s too far out to say where it wants to go for certain.

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

• Red flag warning through midnight
• Strong microburst winds are possible
• Thunderstorms mainly in N. and C. Utah
• Clearing Wednesday
• High pressure through the rest of the week
• Warming temps

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