National Weather Service monitoring smoke, wind, heat to help crews fight Southern Utah fires
Jun 23, 2025, 6:37 AM | Updated: 6:39 am
National Weather Service SLC senior meteorologist Monica Traphagan breaks down weather data she's monitoring. (Photo courtesy: Shelby Lofton, KSL TV)
(Photo courtesy: Shelby Lofton, KSL TV)
SALT LAKE CITY — As crews continue battling the Forsyth, France Canyon and Bridge Creek fires, teams up north are helping them around the clock.
The National Weather Service of Salt Lake City sent one of its meteorologists down south to consult directly with firefighters and agencies down there.
Related: Forsyth Fire destroys 14 Pine Valley homes, expands up to 5660 acres
Meteorologists up north, including Monica Traphagan, said today’s change in weather didn’t bring the relief they’re hoping for.
“For rain over the next seven days, we’re looking dry,” Traphagan said.
Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters Sunday that he encouraged Utahns to pray for rain, especially next week.
Traphagan said their models are showing them the opposite of what they’d like to see.
“We’re going to see the winds pick up, not quite to the extent of last week, but could still see in southern Utah some gusts in excess of 30 miles per hour,” she said.
She said this weekend’s cool down was welcome, but didn’t make a big enough difference.
“Unfortunately, that trough that just moved through didn’t have a lot of moisture associated with it,” Traphagan said.
She said the low humidity, high temperatures and gusty winds could be dangerous.
“So dry that if you do have showers, a lot of it evaporates before it hits the ground,” she said. “That can bring its own, unique issues with fire danger that brings back the potential for microburst winds and also dry lightning.”
She and the governor said the entire state should be on alert.
“It’s not just southern Utah that’s seeing high fire danger,” Traphagan said. “That’s in northern Utah as well.”
Traphagan’s team is briefing firefighters and other agencies on weather conditions that could complicate their jobs or put them in harm’s way.
“We’re open 24/7 and they’re free to call us at any time if they just want to discuss what’s happening,” she said.
The National Weather Service currently has no fire weather warnings out for this week, but Traphagan said they’re watching the situation closely.
“We’re going to see localized areas, particularly Tuesday and Wednesday, isolated spots in southern Utah that’ll have low enough relative humidity, high enough wind to meet those criteria,” she said.
