This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

Utah's midweek weather made the Wasatch Front a near spring paradise, but only if your pollen-clogged, pounding sinuses allowed such ethereal flights of spirit.

Wednesday dawned near 50 degrees on the way to highs in the mid-70s throughout the Salt Lake and Tooele valleys — 10-15 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year. The sun ruled the skies, and a mild breeze kissed the region.

For some, that's a near out-of-body experience. Walk toward the light! Breathe deeply . . . and sneeze. Alas, cottonwoods can't possibly be sprouting in the Elysian Fields, their deceptively gorgeous blossoms emitting clouds of yellow-green pollen.

Yes, Utah, your misery has a name: Populus fremontii, perhaps the most common cottonwood here. The Intermountain Allergy & Asthma website warned that as of Wednesday, cottonwood was "high" on the pollen index. Birch trees were "moderate," but all other allergens came in at "low."

Still, a turn to wetter weather could bring some relief. Ushered in by daytime winds of 10-20 mph and highs in the upper-70s Thursday, northern Utah looked for showers by nightfall. Friday will dawn moist, the Wasatch Front's highs for the day dipping into the mid-50s.

Southern Utahns dodge the rain while seeing highs on a breezy Thursday in the low-80s, a few degrees cooler than Wednesday's forecast. Utah's Dixie will cool a bit more on Friday into the mid-70s.

The Utah Division of Air Quality gave the state universal "green," or healthy grades on Wednesday, but conditions in Salt Lake, Utah, Cache, Duchesne, Uintah, and Washington counties will deteriorate into the "yellow," or moderately compromised category on Thursday.

For more extensive forecast information visit the Tribune's weather page at http://www.sltrib.com/news/weather/.

Twitter: @remims