This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The western third of Utah, from the Salt Lake and West deserts to southwestern Utah's redrocks and rangelands, was under a "Red Flag Warning" as tinder-dry conditions, heat and wind combined to elevate wildfire danger.
The advisory, which kicked in at 10 a.m. Friday, was to run through 10 p.m. Saturday. The National Weather Service blamed relative humidity hovering just above single-digit percentages and southerly winds of 25-35 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph.
Forecasters also warned that those strong winds will whip up clouds of dust that could drop visibility on the areas freeways and highways to less than a mile, and strong crosswinds on Interstate 80, U.S. 6 and state highways 56 and 21 could make Labor Day weekend travel miserable for high-profile vehicles.
Along the Wasatch Front, high temperatures Saturday will be in the low-80s, down a few degrees from Friday's forecast. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms and showers were possible both breezy days.
Southern Utahns also might get some wet relief from highs expected to hover around 90 degrees, with evening thunderstorms and isolated showers expected, along with windy weather.
The Utah Division of Air Quality graded air quality as "green," or healthy, through the coming holiday weekend for all areas of the state.
The Intermountain Allergy & Asthma website listed chenopods and ragweed at "high" levels on its pollen index as of Thursday, while sagebrush, mold and grass were "moderate."
For more extensive weather forecasts, visit the Tribune's weather page at http://www.sltrib.com/weather/.
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