Utah forecast: More thunderstorms, then a drying trend

Strong thunderstorms with wind gusts of up to 55 mph moved through southern Tooele, central Juab and central Millard counties on Monday afternoon, the National Weather Service reported.

Earlier Monday, marble-sized hail was reported on State Road 95 south of Hanksville.

Also, the road to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park was reported closed due to deep mud from overnight flooding. There was also scattered debris on main park road, and drivers were urged to travel with caution.

The wild and wet weather was expected to diminish by late Tuesday ahead of a drying trend.

But the National Weather Service had earlier issued a Flash Flood Watch for northern Utah.

The NWS had also warned that the slot canyons, rivers creeks and wildfire-denuded mountain slopes of the eastern third of the state, stretching from Vernal south through Moab and Bluff, were at high risk for flooding and possible mudslides into late Monday evening.

Of particular concern in Utah were the Arches, Canyonlands, the Natural Bridges area, eastern Uinta Basin and its mountains, the LaSal and Abajo mountains and the Tavaputs Plateau. The Cedar City area, which endured locally heavy flooding over the weekend, was spared inclusion within the latest flash-flooding zone.

The Wasatch Front, too, looked for isolated and occasionally heavy rainfall through Tuesday morning, with the skies clearing and the atmosphere beginning to dry by Tuesday night. High temperatures Tuesday were to range into the upper 80s, about the same as the readings forecast for Monday.

Southern Utahns also looked for thunderstorm activity to diminish by Tuesday morning. Highs Tuesday were expected to hover in the upper 90s, the same temperatures forecast for Monday.

All that atmospheric mixing was keeping the air fresh. The Utah Division of Air Quality graded all areas of the state as "Green," or healthy for breathing.

The Intermountain Allergy & Asthma website had some good news for allergy sufferers. Only chenopods are elevated on the pollen index, and not much at that with a "moderate" rating.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims