It might have been warm and dry enough for 20 golfers to get in an early-February round at Forest Dale Thursday, but the winter golf season could be short-lived.

While nothing dramatic is expected, the weather pattern likely will be unsettled from Friday through Sunday along the Wasatch Front as rain possibly mixed with snow is expected in the valleys and 10 to 18 inches of snow is predicted to fall in the mountains.

That pattern is expected to persist through the middle of next week.

"It's going to be a long event," said Christine Kruse, National Weather Service forecaster. "We're not going to have a lot of precipitation, but it's going to occur over a long duration."

Early February has been warmer than normal. Thursday's high at the Salt Lake City International Airport was 46, seven degrees above normal. Temperatures are expected to drop over the weekend. A high of 39 degrees is predicted for Friday and lows are forecast to drop into the low 20s by Sunday night.

Forecasters say there is a 30 percent of rain or snow Friday increasing to 60 percent Saturday night and dropping to 30 percent Sunday evening. Expect driving conditions to be difficult at elevations above 6,500 feet, especially in the canyons.

The pattern will be similar in Utah's Dixie. Forecasters are predicting a high of 52 in St. George Saturday with a low of 39. The chance of rain is 60 percent Saturday, increasing to 80 percent that night.

Still, Forest Dale assistant professional John Spikes said the five players who came out on Wednesday and 20 who played Thursday seemed happy about the winter respite.

"We generally don't get open this early and, if we stayed open from this point, it would be very odd," he said. "People seem really happy to get out there. It's been a long winter and they are excited to get outside and do something."