This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Ushered in by winds gusting to near 60 mph, a Pacific storm system will barrel into Utah on Thursday, bringing rain and snow to the region.
The National Weather Service issued a High Wind Watch for roughly the western third of the state, beginning early Thursday morning and running into the evening. The advisory encompassed territory including the Great Salt Lake Desert, Salt Lake and Tooele valleys and west-central and southwestern Utah.
Winds of 30-40 mph, with gusts 15-20 mph higher, were predicted, becoming strongest Thursday afternoon ahead of a boisterous cold front. Strong crosswinds could make high-profile vehicle travel treacherous, especially along Interstate 80 and Highway 6 and Highway 50, as well as portions of Interstate 15.
Before storm arrived, however, Utahns had a mild Wednesday; some areas even were predicted to flirt with record daytime high temperatures.
Along the Wasatch Front, Wednesday's highs were forecast to range in the upper-50s, just a few degrees off record marks. However, by Wednesday afternoon there was a slight chance for rain and light mountain snowfall. Precipitation will increase as Thursday's cold front takes hold, with daytime highs dipping a few degrees ahead of more valley rain and higher elevation snowfall, this time heavier.
By Friday, wintry weather will have fully embraced northern Utah as daytime temperatures slide into the upper-30s. Overnight lows will be in the mid- to upper-20s, and snow will fall on valleys and peaks alike, forecasters say.
Southern Utahns will feel the cold front, too, but more as a cool caress rather than a frigid slap, at least initially. Following Wednesday's highs in the low- to mid-60s, Utah's Dixie will not see much change until late Thursday, when storm clouds build. Early Friday morning will bring rain, and mountain snow, however — and Friday's highs will tumble into the upper-40s.
The Utah Division of Air Quality was flying its "green,"or healthy breathing banners statewide for the period through the end of the work week.
The Utah Avalanche Center listed the risk of backcountry mountain snowslides at "moderate" as of Wednesday for the mountains above Logan, but the rest of the states' slopes remained in the "low" risk category. However, that could change after new snowfall comes late Thursday and Friday.
For more extensive forecast information, visit the Tribune's weather page at http://www.sltrib.com.
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