Possible dry thunderstorms, high winds in Utah creates critical fire danger

SALT LAKE CITY — After a week of intense heat throughout Utah, the latest weather models show the state's fire risk is expected to ramp up even more on Tuesday. KSL Meteorologist Matthew Johnson said much of the critical fire danger would be due to the chance of dry thunderstorms "dotted throughout the state," with the highest chance of lightning being in the northern half of the state. "You'll notice a line of showers here from northeast Nevada into western Wyoming," he said. "That's where your best chance (for thunderstorms) will be." But Johnson said models foresee enough instability throughout the state, meaning those thunderstorms may be more widespread. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for Tuesday, with winds in the southwest part of the state projected at up to 30 mph. That, combined with 10% humidity levels below 8,000 feet posed a high risk of new fire start. Meanwhile, multiple other fires continued to rage on Monday night into Tuesday morning in Utah and throughout the West, with the Associated Press reporting about three dozen fires still uncontained in the region — including a large fire that destroyed over 70 buildings in Grand Canyon National Park. In Utah alone, over 30,500 acres of land were burning Tuesday morning, collectively between Deer Creek, the Forsyth Fire and the Monroe Canyon Fire. Others across the state had been quickly igniting since July 4. Utah Fire Info advised Utahns to be careful when lighting campfires and to avoid any activities that create sparks, especially on Tuesday.

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