This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Almost the entire state remained under a "Red Flag" warning Wednesday as dry conditions, wind and hot weather kept wildfire danger high — but both wind and heat were to retreat some as the week ends.
Wednesday marked the third straight day the National Weather Service, noting gusts of up to 40 mph, temperatures in the 90s to 100s and low relative humidity hoisted its scarlet banner.
But forecasters predicted that temperatures will dip Thursday through much of Utah. In the Salt Lake and Tooele valleys, Wednesday's breezy low-90s will give way to still and sunny mid-80s on Thursday, and those calmer and cooler conditions repeat on Friday.
Upper-70s to low-80s generally will prevail elsewhere in the state as the week winds down, with the exception of southwestern Utah. Utah's Dixie expects to remain in the triple digits, though winds of 10-20 mph should ease to mere breezes come Thursday and Friday.
The change in climate also will aid air quality. The Utah Division of Air Quality, which put most of the state under a "yellow," or moderately polluted status on Wednesday, predicted universal "green," or healthy breathing conditions on Thursday.
The Intermountain Allergy & Asthma website rated mold and grass as "high," and plantain "moderate" on its pollen index as of Wednesday. Other allergens were "low," or did not register.
For more extensive forecast information visit the Tribune's weather page at http://www.sltrib.com/news/weather/.
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