This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
We just got used to autumn's chilly mornings, winds and rains, but winter's not only around the corner — it's turning eastern Utah's mountains white.
The National Weather Service on Wednesday issued a Winter Storm Warning for the Uintas north and east of Vernal, east-central Utah near Green River, and southeastern Utah's Monticello area. The warning, which calls for snow at 8,000 feet elevation and above, runs through 6 p.m. Thursday.
Forecasters expect 6-12 inches of snow to accumulate in the mountains, and above the timber line the depth could build to 20 inches. Those storms will be driven by winds of 15-25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, rendering mountain passes treacherous for motorists.
Skiers and snowboarders likely are rubbing their mittened hands together in glee, anticipating the opening of resort slopes in the coming weeks. Comedian Carl Reiner wouldn't be one of them. "A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water," he once quipped.
Perspective, then. So, while that high-elevation wintry weather is a meteorological portent of things to come, Utah's valleys could look for milder mid-autumn weather, at least for now. Along the Wasatch Front, that means a dawn at near freezing temperatures on Thursday, with the daytime highs making it only into the mid-40s.
At least a repeat of Wednesday's rain, and in places a dusting of short-lived snow — a day when highs also were forecast in the mid-40s — was not predicted.
Southern Utahns also had a wet Wednesday forecast and highs struggling to reach the low-50s. Thursday was to be drier for Utah's Dixie but still nippy, with daytime highs in the low-50s again after dawn had the thermometer sliding into the mid-30s.
The Utah Division of Air Quality rated breathability as "green," or healthy, statewide into the weekend.
For more extensive forecast information, visit the Tribune's weather page at http://www.sltrib.com/weather/.
Twitter: @remims