This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Northern Utahns get a midweek break from wind and rain, but more gusty and wet weather is on the way Thursday and Friday.
However, the storm system that lashed the region on Tuesday hung around in western Uintas on Wednesday, with a rain-snow mix and 30-40 mph winds combining to bring an Avalanche Warning through 6 a.m. Thursday.
The Utah Avalanche Center warned that human-triggered and natural snowslides were likely on slopes steeper than 30 degrees. Along with the Uintas, the mountains of Logan, Ogden, Salt Lake and Provo also earned "high" avalanche risk grades as of Wednesday; the Skyline district came in at "considerable," Moab "moderate" and the Abajo mountains were "low."
Indeed, the Utah Department of Transportation ordered U.S. 89 through Logan Canyon closed on Tuesday afternoon due to a snow slide that covered the route, but the road was reopened Wednesday morning.
However, State Road 158 (the Power Mountain Road) remained closed on Wednesday due to a slide at mile post 6. SR 158.
A lot of that backcountry instability was due to two consecutive months of snowfall totals up to 200 percent of normal. The latest, 48-hour storm totals as of Wednesday showed 17 inches of new snow at Powder Mountain and Brighton resorts; 13 at Provo Canyon; and 11 inches each at Park City Mountain and Heber City.
The Salt Lake and Tooele valleys will follow up Wednesday's cloudy but dry skies and highs in the mid-50s with 20-30 mph winds and evening rain showers on Thursday. Friday's forecast called for morning, afternoon and evening rainfall and more wind.
Southern Utah, in the mid-60s on Wednesday under partly cloudy skies, looked for daytime highs a few degrees warmer on Thursday. Another rainless day. However, Utah's Dixie will see Friday afternoon and evening precipitation with temperatures back in the mid-60s.
The Utah Division of Air Quality predicts "green," or healthy conditions through Thursday for all of the state, except for Carbon and Duchesne counties ("moderate" for particulate levels in the air).
For more extensive forecast information visit the Tribune's weather page at http://www.sltrib.com/news/weather/.
Twitter: @remims