Calm and sunny Sunday with increasing storms early in the week

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — Happy Sunday, Utah! Get ready for a quick shift to fall! I hope you’re enjoying our warm temperatures in the mid to upper 80s along the Wasatch Front, because it might be a while before we see them again. A southerly flow is in place again on Sunday ahead of a large trough of low pressure that sliding into the Pacific Northwest.

Across Utah today, temperatures are running about 5-10 degrees above normal, and the skies are mostly clear. However, moisture from the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Ileana is moving in ahead of the trough. With increasing moisture in the air and some atmospheric energy, isolated storms could pop up across northern and central Utah by Sunday afternoon, and even southern Utah by late Sunday. These storms could bring heavy rain and gusty winds.

By Monday afternoon and evening, stronger storms are likely, especially in northern and central Utah, as the storm slides into the state. Some models suggest Utah could miss out on widespread storms, but strong to severe thunderstorms are still a possibility. For western Utah, strong winds are expected Monday into Tuesday with wind gusts over 45 mph expected. Gusty winds will elevate dust and haze as the system moves through and wind advisories will likely be in place.

Looking ahead to Tuesday afternoon, the cold front will move further east, bringing a healthy chance of rain, mostly in northern Utah. Southern Utah will be drier. Cooler air will move in, dropping temperatures about 10 to 15 degrees below normal. Snow levels are expected stay high, around 10,000 feet, so don’t expect much, if any, snow accumulation.

Bottom Line?! A strong cold front is on the way for Monday, high winds and a risk for isolated severe storms.

The weather for the rest of the week is still uncertain, but it looks like it will stay cool and unsettled, with another potential cold front arriving midweek.  We’ll give you the latest updates in our 4Warn Weather forecast both on-air and online, we are Good4Utah!

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