This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Spring officially has arrived, but if you thought it was going to be all sunshine and daffodils from here on in, Utah, think again — there's a storm coming.
After a warm, bright weekend prelude, Monday's season-changing vernal equinox also brought Hazardous Weather Outlook for the entire week in the western two thirds of the state. While most of Monday's forecast called for mild conditions, Tuesday morning brings increasingly gusty southeast winds to usher in midweek rain showers to the valleys and snow to the mountains.
After Monday's cloudy but still toasty conditions — Salt Lake City's 75-degree high tied a 1997 record, the fourth warm weather mark set so far this month — northern Utahns will see those charming Monday breezes turn to obnoxious winds gusting to 30 mph by Tuesday afternoon. Come Wednesday, the rain arrives along with high temperatures in the low- to mid-60s, a 7-10 degree dip from Tuesday's readings.
This time, southern Utahns won't escape the change from halcyon spring-like conditions to windy and occasionally wet weather. After Monday's sunny and breezy low-80s, Utah's Dixie will dip into the mid- to upper-70s on Tuesday. Wednesday brings showers and highs in the upper-60s.
The Utah Division of Air Quality likes all that precipitation and atmospheric mixing, giving its "green," or healthy grades for breathing conditions statewide through Tuesday.
Still, with spring comes cottonwood blooms. The Intermountain Allergy & Asthma website noted Monday that mucosal masochist of the trees endured by so many, ranked "very high" on its pollen index. Cedar pollen was at "moderate" levels.
For more extensive forecast information visit the Tribune's weather page at http://www.sltrib.com/news/weather/.
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