This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Fickle, absentee winter is returning for Utah this weekend with the National Weather Service putting large parts of central and southern Utah under a storm advisory.
After a week of temperatures 15-20 degrees above normal for this time of year, the Winter Weather Advisory encompassed a pyramid-shaped swath of both valleys and mountains from Provo running southwest to St. George and southeast to Blanding.
The advisory, which warns of mostly valley rain and snow in the mountains and high deserts, extends through 4 p.m. Saturday. Mountain locations, depending on respective elevations, were expected to get between 5-10 inches of new snow, with 12-18 inches along the highest slopes.
The Utah Department of Transportation cautioned drivers to anticipate slick valley roads and snow-covered passes this weekend.
The precipitation will be comprised of rain showers in the Salt Lake and Tooele valleys. High temperatures Saturday will range into the upper-40s, the same as forecast for Friday.
That same wet weather is on tap for southern Utah, too, though daytime highs will be in the low- to mid-50s.
The Utah Division of Air Quality initially put the urban Wasatch Front under "yellow," or moderate air quality status. Box Elder, Cache, Tooele, Washington and Carbon counties were the only areas earning "green," or healthy grades.
The Utah Avalanche Center put most of the state's mountain slopes under "green," or low risk ratings for potentially deadly snow slides, though the mountains above Logan and Moab were "yellow," or moderate for risk.
For more extensive forecast information, visit the Tribune's weather page at http://www.sltrib.com/weather/.
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