After a September weekend that was 10 degrees warmer than normal, an upcoming cool down is expected to reach much of the state by Thursday and into Friday.
The cool snap may bring a much-needed taste of fall, but the forecasts show Utahns should wait to pull out their warm sweaters.
A relatively dry cold front is forecasted to move in Wednesday evening or early Thursday, bringing high temperatures down to the high 60s or mid 70s, according to the National Weather Service.
The service on Wednesday morning reported that a red flag warning remained in effect in “fire weather zones” in Utah deserts, because of high winds expected through 8 p.m. Thursday. Winds of 20-30 mph were expected, with gusts up to 40 mph. Similar warnings were issued in Idaho, Nevada and Colorado, and could mean higher wildfire danger in all those states.
The weather pattern was bringing smoke Wednesday from California wildfires into the Salt Lake Valley, obscuring the view of the Wasatch and Oquirrh mountains.
For much of Utah, according to forecasts, temperatures will drop between 10 and 20 degrees below normal. Southern Utah will see similar effects, with less-dramatic temperature drops; Thursday’s high for the region is expected to reach 92 degrees.
While providing Utahns a much-needed break from the summer heat, the chill temperatures will be short-lived, with highs in the mid- to upper 80s anticipated for Saturday.
Current forecasts for Salt Lake County predict mostly sunny skies with a chance of showers on Thursday and a high near 69; Friday, sunny with highs near 76; a high of 84 on Saturday; and a high near 86 on Sunday.
Ahead of the cooler temperatures, winds exceeding 40 miles an hour are likely during the day on Wednesday. With the predicted gusts, the weather service has issued a red flag warning for Utah’s western and southern regions through Wednesday. Warnings for southeastern Utah will continue through Thursday.
While the upcoming cooldown is “anything out of the ordinary,” meteorologist Jon Wilson said, it will help temperatures move to what is considered average. This past weekend, the weather service recorded a high of 96 degrees.
Although 1.8 degrees cooler than the previous year, 2024 ranked in the top 10 warmest summers in Salt Lake City — with 20 triple-digit days recorded over the summer. A high of 106 was reached on July 11, one degree lower than the all-time record high temperature of 107.
Utahns should expect temperatures to ebb and flow between summer and fall-like patterns for the rest of September, but signs of another cold front are forecast for the middle of next week.