Red flag warnings extended for Wasatch Back, much of Utah

National Weather Service

The red flag warnings extend through Thursday night with no rain in the forecast and expected wind gusts of up to 35 miles per hour.

The warnings cover all of Wasatch County and most of eastern Summit County.

The Great Basin Seasonal Outlook examines fire potential across the region, including Utah, Nevada and southwestern Idaho.

The newly-released outlook raises concerns about record-low moisture in sagebrush across western Utah from August to November.

So far this year, Utah has experienced more than 720 wildfires, 70% of those were human-caused. That's less than the 790 fires by August last year.

Summit County has seen 25 total wildfires, the largest in Woodland on July 9 burned 4 acres.

Five fires have sparked in Wasatch County, the largest at the Strawberry Marina on July 7 that burned 4 acres.

Last week Utah increased fire restrictions to Stage 2, banning all open flames on state and unincorporated lands and in some national forests.