Utah continues flirting with record-high temperatures, isolated thunderstorms

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — Happy Tuesday, Utah! The warm start to October looks to continue today and will likely continue to stick around for a while.

A big ridge of high pressure is hanging over the western U.S., keeping things hot. Temperatures will stay 10 to 15 degrees above normal today and again on Wednesday.

We might see some records close to being broken across the area, but in Salt Lake City, it looks like we’ll just miss it. The forecast is 83 degrees today — and the record from 2022 is 85 degrees. On Wednesday, we can expect 85 degrees, with the 2003 record being 88 degrees.

Temperatures in St. George are flirting with record highs as well — a temperature of 96 degrees is expected today with the record being 97 degrees from 1996.

There’s a weak system moving in from California that’s pulling some moisture into the Great Basin. As the afternoon progresses, we could see some weak thunderstorms pop up, especially in the western Uintas, the Wasatch Plateau, and the central mountains.

Further west, there’s a chance of some isolated storms drifting in from Nevada. But with the air being so dry, most of these storms will produce gusty winds rather than rain, thanks to the microburst winds. By Wednesday, that moisture will mostly shift out of the area.

Looking ahead to Thursday and beyond, it’s going to be the warmest day of the week, with high pressure still in control. Things will slowly start to cool off over the weekend as the ridge flattens out ahead of an area of low pressure moving toward the west coast.

There’s still some uncertainty in the forecast about this low-pressure system. There’s a chance it could move through the state sometime early next week. If it does come our way, it’ll probably be pretty weak and not have much impact.

For Thursday and Friday, expect temperatures to stay around 15 degrees above normal, with dry conditions continuing. As the week progresses, we’ll start to cool down slightly. There’s a chance for a little more moisture late in the weekend, but even if the low moves in, it’s unlikely to bring much rain.

However, we could see stronger winds from the south, which might raise the fire danger this weekend, especially given how dry things have been this fall.

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

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