Utah forecast: Balmy, breezy weekend — but watch those fires

Toasty, breezy and dry weather promised a Utah weekend forecast that should be perfect for getting to the outdoors — if recreationists remember to exercise care with open fires.

Northern Utah's Wasatch Front expected high temperatures Saturday in the upper-80s after Friday's forecast for daytime highs in the low- to mid-70s. Winds of 10-20 mph are expected both days.

Southern Utah, with winds of 15-25 mph whipping the tinder-dry high deserts, was where firefighters kept a wary focus going into the weekend. With highs in the upper-90s both days and no precipitation in sight, the National Weather Service issued a Fire Weather Watch.

That advisory covered the southwestern quarter of the state, citing the winds, low humidity and dry condition of the region's grasslands and forests as factors increasing the risk for potentially explosive wildfires.

If the weekend is free of major blazes, though, at least the quality of air statewide was expected to be good this weekend. The Utah Division of Air Quality was flying its "Green," or healthy air banners at all monitoring stations.

Meanwhile, the Intermountain Allergy & Asthma web site also had good news: only grass, rated at "high," and mold at "moderate" were noteworthy pollen generators heading into the weekend.

Salt Lake City expected a high temperature Saturday of 87, up markedly from Friday's forecast for 77 degrees; Ogden looked for 84 and 74 degrees, respectively; Provo 88 and 79; Logan 83 and 73; Wendover 85 and 74; Duchesne 84 and 81; Cedar City 86s; St. George 99s; and Moab 94 and 93 degrees.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims