This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Blustery winds and rain will usher in Utah's weekend, but then sunshine and drier conditions will prevail.

Such weather might just be the doorway to needed contemplation, as folk guitarist Greg Brown sings: "A spring wind blew my list of things to do away . . . . Darlin' it's been a hard go, but I think we'll be okay."

And so will you, even as 10-20 mph winds push rain showers — occasionally heavy — through the Wasatch Front.

After Thursday's morning precipitation and afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms, Friday will dawn wet, then ease toward sunnier, drier conditions in the afternoon. High temperatures will be in the mid-50s, echoing Thursday's forecast.

Saturday will see sunshine breaking up the cloud cover on the way to highs in the 60-degree range for the Salt Lake and Tooele valleys.

As breezy as it will be elsewhere in the state, gale force winds will rule a large section of central Utah, from Price to Castle Dale, Emery and Green River to Hanksville. Northwest winds of 25-35 mph and gusts up to 55 mph are expected, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a Wind Advisory from 9 p.m. Thursday to 11 a.m. Friday.

Strong crosswinds are forecast for State Route 10 between Price and Interstate 70, so drivers of high-profile vehicles and those towing trailers are urged to be especially cautious.

Southern Utahns, too, will endure some stiff winds as the weekend approaches. While high temperatures will continue in the upper-70s to mid-80s, Utah's Dixie will be buffeted with gusts of 45 mph.

Things calm down for the redrocks and high desert lands on Saturday, with mostly clear skies and highs in the mid-80s.

The Utah Division of Air Quality's forecast for Friday is a something of mixed atmospheric bag. Utah, Washington, Carbon, Duchesne and Uintah counties are graded "yellow," or compromised for particulate pollutants — but the remainder of the state, including Salt Lake, Weber and Davis counties, earn "green," or healthy assessments.

The Intermountain Allergy & Asthma website warned they will be some sneezing out there, too: mulberry was "very high" of the site's pollen inedex, while sycamore and oak came in at "high," and cottonwood, maple, cedar and ash were "moderate."

For more extensive forecast information visit the Tribune's weather page at http://www.sltrib.com/news/weather/.

Twitter: @remims