This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There's a sunny autumn weekend ahead for Utah, a time for brushing away wintry portents, embracing crisps mornings and savoring the year's waning warm, bright days.
Along the Wasatch Front, after Friday's pre-dawn low-40s and afternoon highs in the mide-60s, Saturday and Sunday promised upper-40s at dawn and daytime temperatures in the low- to upper-70s, respectively.
"I'm taking it in, the Indian Summer, and I'm soaking it up in my mind . . . I'm pretending like it's paradise, on a golden autumn day," was how the enigmatic yet passionate vocalist Van Morrison put it.
Southern Utahns enjoyed highs around 80 degrees heading into the weekend, and expected to add a few degrees, under clear, sun-drenched skies, on both Saturday and Sunday. Overnight lows were to be in the 50s.
While autumn sunshine ruled the valleys in the north and redrocks and deserts of the south, Utah's mountains continued getting a taste of coming winter. Already showing snow at their higher elevations, the state's peaks expected overnight lows in the 20s and highs in the upper-50s to low-60s.
Indeed, Utah's eastern Uintas began Friday under a Freeze Warning. That National Weather Service warned that temperatures in the 20s could cause damage to crops and gardens in the region — and the agency urged pet owners to bring their furry companions inside.
The Utah Division of Air Quality awarded "green," or healthy grades for the entire state through the weekend.
The Intermountain Allergy & Asthma website reported that only sagebrush ("very high") and mold ("high") were at elevated pollen and spore levels as of Friday.
For more extensive forecast information, visit The Salt Lake Tribune's weather page at: http//www.sltrib.com/weather/.
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