This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah's forecast for the beginning of the work week is kind of like a MMA bout, pitting Ma "Fading Glory" Nature against the cocky newcomer, Jack "The Iceman" Frost.
Though resplendent in orange and gold and still able to deliver some heat in this Mixed Meteorological Arts matchup, the reigning seasonal champ is tiring: the Wasatch Front's highs are predicted to struggle into the mid- to upper-50s on Tuesday, shadows of the fiery daytime temperatures of just a week ago.
The overnight hours, though, belong to the challenger. Temperatures will drop well below freezing in many locations, prompting the National Weather Service to declare a hard freeze watch for the northern and southern Wasatch Front, western Uinta Basin and west central Utah.
Beginning Monday evening and extending through Tuesday morning, forecasters urged gardeners and farmers to protect or harvest sensitive crops before the cold squeezes them into icy submission.
Autumn is more resilient in southern Utah, though daytime highs Monday and Tuesday in the low- to mid-70s still were forecast to retreat into the low- to mid-40s when darkness comes.
The Utah Division of Air Quality awarded "green," or healthy grades for the entire state as the week got underway.
Sagebrush and mold were at "moderate"levels as of Monday on the Intermountain Allergy & Asthma website's pollen index, but all other allergens were either very low or too low to register at all.
To learn more about the forecast in detail, visit the Tribune's weather page at sltrib.com/weather.
Twitter: @remims