Grand County Utah Emergency Management

05/28/2026

Part of Grand County is under a Red Flag Warning between 1PM and 8PM today. Use caution with activities that may spark a fire:

The National Weather Service in Grand Junction has issued a Red
Flag Warning for gusty winds, low relative humidity and dry
fuels, which is in effect from 1 PM to 8 PM MDT Thursday. A Fire
Weather Watch has also been issued. This Fire Weather Watch for
gusty winds, low relative humidity and dry fuels is in effect
from Friday afternoon through Friday evening.

* AFFECTED AREA...In Colorado, Fire Weather Zone 292 North Fork
Forecast Area. In Utah, Fire Weather Zone 491 Southeast Utah.

* TIMING...For the Red Flag Warning, from 1 PM to 8 PM MDT
Thursday. For the Fire Weather Watch, from Friday afternoon
through Friday evening.

* WINDS...South 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...8 to 13 percent.

* IMPACTS...Fires will catch and spread quickly. Exercise
extreme caution with any outdoor burning.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of
strong winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can
contribute to extreme fire behavior.

05/27/2026

Most of Grand County will be under a red flag warning between 1PM and 8PM this evening, where we can expect to see critical fire weather including gusty winds and low humidity. Fires could spread quickly. Exercise caution with any activities that could spark a fire.

Isolated showers are possible along the Divide this afternoon. Elsewhere conditions dry out and winds increase. This will cause critical fire weather for parts of the area, which continues through Friday.

05/21/2026

Our area will be impacted by critical fire weather today, including wind gusts and low relative humidity.

Any fire that develops is likely to spread quickly. Avoid activities that may spark a fire.

A frontal boundary will work through the region this afternoon, bringing some showers and thunderstorms to northeast UT and northwest CO. Winds ahead of this front, along with low relative humidity and critical fuels have prompted a Red Flag Warning for portions of eastern UT and southwest CO. Temperatures will climb to near normal for much of the region, but remain below normal up north due to cloud cover and precipitation.

04/27/2026

The Grand County Emergency Management website now has a map with watches and warnings issued by the National Weather Service!

To view the map, scroll down on the main emergency management page (https://www.grandcountyutah.net/174/Emergency-Management) until you see a map like the image below. You can pan around and zoom in and out on the map to see information for different areas. You can also click on the shaded watch and warning areas to see more information about the alert. The map will change as alerts are issued and canceled, so it should always be up-to-date.

Special thanks to the Grand County Information Technology Department for helping with this effort.

04/22/2026

The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food is holding public meetings this week for ranchers and producers to learn what resources are available to help with drought. There is a meeting in our area tomorrow:
* Thursday, April 23
* 4:30 PM
* Green River Senior Center

04/16/2026

Information from the National Weather Service about the wind advisory through this evening, as well as the freeze warning Friday into Saturday:

WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING.....FREEZE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT TO 10 AM MDT SATURDAY...

* WHAT...For the Wind Advisory, southwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. For the Freeze Warning, sub-freezing temperatures as low as 20 expected.

* WHERE...Arches/Grand Flat - including the cities of Moab, Arches National Park, Castle Valley, and Thompson Springs.

* WHEN...For the Wind Advisory, until 8 PM MDT this evening. For the Freeze Warning, from midnight Friday Night to 10 AM MDT Saturday.

* IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree
limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.
Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high
profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

Secure outdoor objects.

Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.

03/23/2026

We are so grateful for the work Team Rubicon did during their operation last week. Mitigation efforts like these help build resiliency and keep our community safe.

03/17/2026

When there's a major emergency, who responds? Who's involved, who is in charge, and how do decisions get made?

Major emergencies are complex, and require quick decision-making and smooth collaborations in the face of urgency and uncertainty.

To help plan for events like these, the Grand County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Management ran a tabletop exercise last week to give local agencies a chance to talk through their response to a hypothetical emergency. Over several hours, emergency responders discussed and brainstormed strategies for topics including incident command, internal communications, operations, evacuation management, public outreach, and more. The scenario was a major wildfire in the wetlands prompting evacuations in several neighborhoods.

Agencies represented included Grand County Sheriff's Office, Moab City Police Department, Moab Valley Fire Department, Southeast Utah Health Department, Grand County EMS, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Utah Forestry, Fire, and State Lands, Rim to Rim Restoration, Moab City, and Grand County Utah. Special thanks to the Moab Valley Fire Department for providing the space for us to hold this important discussion.

This exercise sparked important conversations that will continue among emergency responders in the community. Stay tuned as we continue to help Grand County grow as a resilient community.

02/17/2026

Different parts of the state experienced power outages last night because of the storm system moving through the area. We can expect unsettled weather, including wind gusts and possible snow, through the week.

Here are some tips on how to stay warm if the power goes out:

* Close off empty rooms
* Close blinds or curtains to keep in heat
* Put towels or blankets in cracks under doors

02/16/2026

Travel with care in the mountains tonight through Thursday morning.

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM MONDAY TO 5 AM MST THURSDAY ABOVE 8000 FEET...

* WHAT...Snow expected above 8000 feet. Total snow accumulations between 5 and 10 inches. Winds gusting as high as 60 mph.

* WHERE...La Sal and Abajo Mountains.

* WHEN...From 11 PM Monday to 5 AM MST Thursday.

* IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult. Blowing snow may result
in near zero visibility at times. The hazardous conditions could
impact the Tuesday morning and evening commutes. Strong winds
could cause tree damage.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road
conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by
calling 5 1 1.