ST. GEORGE — While the skies may be clear and sunny, that doesn’t mean the weather is going to be exactly friendly this weekend. The National Weather Service has issued several weather warnings and watches for Southern Utah and Nevada spanning from Friday through Sunday evening, when winds in Southern Utah are forecast to gust as high as 60 mph.
Red flag warnings and fire weather watches
The National Weather Services in both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, Nevada, have issued warnings and watches for fire weather that include high winds and low relative humidity.
In Southern Utah, a red flag warning extends until Friday at 10 p.m. for parts of Garfield, Iron, Kane and Washington counties (see map inset right).
South winds are expected to gust from 25-35 mph and relative humidity is expected to be 9-14 percent.
The National Weather Service in Las Vegas has also issued a fire weather watch from Friday through Sunday for portions of southwestern Nevada, including Clark County from Mesquite all along I-15 to the Nevada-California state line.
South to southwest winds of 20-30 mph are forecast, with gusts 35-40 mph Friday increasing to 40-45 mph on Saturday and Sunday. Higher elevation gusts could reach 55 mph Friday. Afternoon humidity levels will fall near or below 10 percent.
A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly. Outdoor burning is not recommended.
Read more: ‘If it can spark, it can cause a fire’: Tips on preventing human-caused wildfires
High wind watch
In addition to the high winds included as part of the red flag warnings and fire weather watches, the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issued a high wind watch Friday that will run Sunday morning through Sunday evening.
The watch covers the western two-thirds of Utah, including the cities of St. George, Cedar City, Milford, Beaver, Delta, Fillmore, Salt Lake City, Tooele, Lehi, Provo,
Nephi, Wendover and Snowville. Sustained winds are forecast at 30-45 mph, with gusts over 60 mph.
These strong gusts will dislodge unsecured items such as lawn furniture, trampolines and garbage cans. Tree damage is also possible. Strong cross winds could create hazardous travel conditions on all roadways within the watch area.
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