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SALT LAKE CITY — A slow-moving Pacific storm will park on Utah's doorstep tonight, bringing gusty winds and some isolated thunderstorms.
By the time the storm makes its full-blown entrance late Friday, the widespread rain will deliver the state's first taste of fall and drop temperatures to about normal — rather than the nearly record-breaking heat experienced the past few days.
The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issued a hazardous weather outlook Friday morning, warning of strong, gusty south winds for the western two thirds of Utah, as well as storms that could include locally heavy rain and perhaps even small hail.
By Saturday the storm will saturate the state with periods of heavy rain that will create risks of urban flooding in northern Utah and lead to possible flash flooding in southern Utah. The agency advises that the most vulnerable areas to flash floods are slot canyons, recent burn scars, slickrock areas and small streams in steep canyons.
This weekend's storm continues a wet pattern that dominated Utah in August and was a sporadic guest in September.
The August precipitation was significant: measuring between 150 percent and 300 percent of normal, according to the a monthly water supply and climate report put out by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. It was the third consecutive year that there was above average August precipitation for the state.
Weekend storminess will drop the snow level to about 7,500 feet, dusting the mountain peaks in some areas.
Contributing: Richard Piatt
