This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On Friday, it's Spring. Well, thank you, Captain Obvious.
While "official" spring is tied to the calendar's uncompromising declaration of the season beginning on March 20 this year, Utahns kicked winter to the meteorological curb weeks ago. Temperatures 15-20 degrees above normal, bountiful sunshine, nesting birds and blooming flora made their own declaration.
So, the National Weather Service predicted that on the first official day of spring, temperatures along the Wasatch Front would hit highs in upper-60s, a jump of 3-5 degrees from Thursday's forecast. Sunny skies were to rule both days.
Southern Utahns looked for highs in the mid- to upper-70s under clear, bright skies both days.
The Utah Division of Air Quality graded the entire state as "green," or healthy for breathing conditions, into the weekend.
And on the last day of winter, the Utah Avalanche Center rated the state's backcountry mountain slopes generally at "moderate" risk for potentially deadly snowslides; only the Logan district was rated at "considerable" risk for avalanches.
For more extensive weather information, don't bother asking Captain Obvious. The best he'll do in opining about the future forecasts is something like this: "Indeed, current weather may become past weather, but always remember that there will, now and always, be future weather in the future."
Better: visit the Tribune's weather page at http://www.sltrib.com/weather/.
That should make you smile. And like the Captain says, "Turning a frown upside down makes a smiley face."
Twitter: @remims