Near-record heat and storms for some Utah areas this Pioneer Day

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) – Happy Pioneer Day, Utah! We celebrate the holiday with a spike in daytime highs, thanks to a large high-pressure ridge centering up over Utah, Arizona and Nevada.

Temperatures will be roughly 5-10° above average, nearing record highs in northern Utah with Salt Lake City forecast to hit 104° this afternoon, 1° shy of the record high of 105° set back in 1931.

This heat poses a danger, particularly for sensitive groups, and a Heat Advisory will go into effect at noon. The advisory is for the Wasatch Front, Great Salt Lake Desert and Mountains, Tooele and Rush Valleys, Cache Valley/Utah Portion, and Eastern Juab/Millard Counties. The advisory holds on until 10 p.m., and with many people attending parades, celebrating outdoors with families, or hitting our local outdoor hot spots, it’s incredibly important to prioritize heat safety.

On top of high heat statewide for the holiday, we also have storm and flash flood potential in parts of Southern Utah.

Lingering moisture in place will lead to more afternoon storms in the higher terrain, heavily focused on the southwest, but also possible in the West Desert and South-Central Utah, with most areas up north staying dry. Some of these storms could hold together and roll into nearby valleys, so keep your eyes to the skies!

The storms also bring an elevated risk of flash flooding, especially in areas with slick rock or steep terrain. Grand Staircase National Monument has the “probable” ranking for flash flood risk today, with Zion National Park, Capitol Reef, and Bryce Canyon in the “possible” category.

We have a change to the weather pattern brewing thanks to a trough moving inland into the Pacific Northwest. This trough will push east and bring some changes as our ridge of high pressure will slide southeast and ease its firm grip on the Great Basin.

This will bring a slight cool down to the state on Thursday, especially along the Wasatch Front. Showers and thunderstorms are expected throughout much of the state, bringing potential for gusty winds and heavy rain.

On Friday, the trough will bring cooler conditions with more scattered showers and thunderstorms. Gusty southwest winds around 25 mph and low humidity will heighten fire danger. We could see fire alerts posted for parts of the state, so stay tuned.

By Saturday, we begin to dry out with a drying trend from the southwest to the northeast. Few storms remain possible over northern Utah and southwest Wyoming with drier air taking over by the afternoon and evening. Storms will likely be isolated in nature and likely over the mountains. Sunday is expected to be seasonal and dry with some warming into next week.

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

• Peak heating today
• Triple-digit heat for the Wasatch Front — flirting with the record in SLC
• Heat Advisory for Wasatch Front & surrounding areas Wednesday
• More storms in the south, mainly SW Utah
• Flash flood potential “probable” for Grand Staircase
• Wildfire smoke/haze visible
• Poor air quality (particulate matter/ozone)
• Isolated storms pioneer day south
• Statewide storms Thursday, little cooler
• Showers continue Friday with seasonal temps clearing into Saturday

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