This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A thick shroud of smog made the Wasatch Front's forecast downright dystopian on Friday, but a coming storm front, however anemic, offered a glimmer of sunshine — and hope for better air quality this weekend.
As of Friday, the Utah Division of Air Quality still graded Salt Lake County's particulate pollution levels in the "red," or unhealthy zone. Mandatory bans on both open burning and use of solid-fuel stoves and furnaces were in place; health officials urged the elderly, very young, and those with heart and lung issues to avoid the outdoors; and commuters were asked to opt for mass transit, or telecommute if possible.
The remainder of the state — with the exception of Washington and Carbon counties, which were "green," or healthy — endured varying levels of compromised, unhealthy air quality heading into the weekend.
However, the National Weather Service noted that weak storm system will begin to break up some of northern and central Utah's pollution-trapping valley inversions by late Saturday, and bring moderate rain and snow throughout Sunday.
The Salt Lake and Tooele valleys begin Saturday with hazy skies and morning fog, and high temperatures in the low-40s — a few degrees warmer than Friday's forecast. Sunday brings a rain-snow mix by afternoon, as highs again range into the 40s after overnight lows near 30 degrees.
Southern Utahns, meanwhile, can laugh at their northern cousins' plight — and those guffaws can be the deep, lung-filling kind, too, since Utah's Dixie will have fresh air throughout the weekend. Under sunny skies, temperatures will rise to the mid- to upper-60s, with overnight lows in the mid- to upper-30s.
The Utah Avalanche Center rated the risk for potentially deadly backcountry mountain snowslides at "moderate" statewide as of Friday.
For more extensive forecast information, visit The Salt Lake Tribune's weather page at: http//www.sltrib.com/weather.
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