Hot and smoky weather in Utah with critical fire conditions

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) – Happy Wednesday, Utah! It’s a windy and smoky day in the Beehive State with critical fire conditions.

Our big trough digs into the western U.S., bringing stronger south-to-southwesterly winds to much of the area on Wednesday afternoon. Expect windy conditions, especially in western valleys and possibly further east.

Relative humidity will drop below 15% in most valleys south of I-80, which means fire weather alerts have been issued for most of western, central, and southern Utah. Critical fire conditions are possible through Wednesday evening.

The timing of a cold front moving into northern Utah is expected Wednesday night, continuing through central, southern, and eastern Utah on Thursday. This may keep winds elevated through Thursday, especially in the southern and eastern valleys.

A Red Flag Warning has been issued for eastern Utah on Thursday. After the cold front passes, temperatures in the north will drop significantly, around 20 degrees, bringing highs in the Wasatch Front down to the upper 60s. Meanwhile, southern Utah will only cool by about 5-10 degrees.

Due to the ongoing wildfires in Southern California, smoke and haze will continue across the Beehive State on Wednesday evening. The front may also bring more smoke into the area from the Oregon and Idaho wildfires on Thursday. The best chances for measurable precipitation on Thursday will be across northern Utah and southwest Wyoming, especially north of I-80.

By Friday, most models show the upper trough moving away from the area, with drier air moving back in for the weekend. Northern Utah might stay cooler through Friday, but temperatures should bounce back by the weekend as a dry westerly flow takes over.

We could be tracking yet another fall-like storm system for next week. Stay tuned!

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

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.