This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Freezing rain mixed with snow ushered in northern Utah's midweek, prompting calls for commuters to exercise extra care as they traveled the state's roads.
The arrival of a warm front Wednesday morning, moving northeasterly, pulled a moist airmass over the Wasatch Front. Snow showers hit areas north of Interstate 80 especially hard, especially where the freeway moved into the foothills and toward mountain summits.
Snow also dusted northern Utah's valleys early Wednesday before shifting to rain as warmer daytime temperatures took hold.
The Utah Department of Transportation warned that snow could be heavy in places across western highways and interstates, as well as Interstate 15 through Cache and Box Elder counties.
Also of concern for snow accumulations were U.S. Highways 89 and 6, and State Routes 158 and 35.
Northern Utah valleys will see scattered rain, and the mountains more snowfall, again on Thursday and Friday.
The Salt Lake and Tooele valleys expected highs in the low-50s on a breezy Thursday, up from Wednesday's mid-40s. Friday's highs will return to the 40s, along with winds gusting to 30 mph, the National Weather Service says.
Southern Utahns will have partly cloudy skies, highs in the mid-60s and a chance for evening rain showers on Thursday. That is a pattern to be repeated on Friday — along with 15-25 mph winds — throughout Utah's Dixie.
The Utah Division of Air Quality awarded "green," or healthy breathing conditions statewide through the remainder of the work week.
However, the Utah Avalanche Center rated the risk at "moderate" for potentially deadly backcountry mountain snowslides for all districts of the state except the Moab and Abajo mountains, which were graded at "low" as of Wednesday.
For more extensive forecast information visit the Tribune's weather page (http://www.sltrib.com/weather/)
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