Boaters, motorists beware; wind advisory issued for Southern Utah

Stock image, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City has issued a wind advisory for Southern Utah with winds of 25-35 mph forecast along with wind gusts up to 50 mph.

Wind advisory map, March 30, 2017 | Map courtesy of the National Weather Service, St. George News

Advisory area

The advisory is for Utah’s Dixie, Zion National Park, south-central Utah, Glen Canyon Recreation Area and Lake Powell, including the cities of St. George, Kanab, Escalante and Bullfrog.

Winds

Southwest winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 50 mph are expected. Winds will switch to the northwest late Thursday afternoon in Washington County but remain strong into the early evening.

Timing

The wind advisory is in effect Thursday from 2-9 p.m. Winds will strengthen by early afternoon and remain strong into the early evening before diminishing.

Impacts

Strong crosswinds can be expected along east-west oriented roadways including portions of Highway 89 east of Kanab. Strong winds will also result in choppy waters on Lake Powell and other area lakes.

Precautionary, preparedness actions

A wind advisory means that sustained wind speeds of at least 31 mph or gusts of 45 mph are expected. Motorists in the advisory area should be prepared for sudden gusty cross winds, which can make driving difficult.

The strong winds will create dangerous boating conditions on area lakes. These winds will create very choppy water and generate large waves which could capsize or swamp small water craft. For your personal safety, operators of small craft are urged to postpone their outings until the winds subside.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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