This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
A freakish May cold front brought a Winter Weather Advisory for the Wasatch Front and Uinta Mountains, while pockets of eastern Utah were under a Freeze Watch through the midweek.
The National Weather Service predicted 6-12 inches of snow will fall in the mountains by midnight Wednesday, bringing winter driving conditions to Interstate 80 through Parleys Canyon, near Logan Summit and Sardine Summit.
Some fun "facts: "The nearly 6,000-foot elevation Sardine Summit, which marks the border between Cache and Box Elder counties, supposedly got its name from (a) early-1900s littering travelers who tossed piles of empty sardine cans along their canyon route below, or (b) the original canyon road was so narrow and tight that, well, it was compared to being packed inside a tin of sardines.
Whatever its origins, Utahns know Sardine Canyon, and its summit, are today associated with the stretch of U.S. Highway 89/91 between Brigham City and Wellsville. And, through Wednesday night, snow will rule the route piscatorial.
Beginning late Wednesday night and extending into Thursday morning, forecasters also warned that sub-freezing temperatures — sliding to the mid-20s in places — will come to the Vernal, Moab and Green River areas.
Temperatures also will dip elsewhere in the state. The Wasatch Front's valleys, including those in Salt Lake, Utah and Tooele counties, will see intermittent rain showers accompanied by Wednesday highs in the upper-40s — about a 35-degree plunge from near-90s just late last week, and 15 degrees cooler than Tuesday.
Thursday will see more rain and daytime highs struggling to reach the low-50s in the state's capital city.
The dramatically cooler weather was a boon to the Utah County and the Provo River area, where a flood warning remains in place into Friday morning due to earlier heavy snow melt forcing releases from the swollen Deer Creek Reservoir.
Wednesday will bring 15-25 mph winds, partly cloudy skies and scattered rain showers to southern Utah. High temperatures in Utah's Dixie — in the mid-70s Tuesday — will retreat a few degrees on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Utah Division of Air Quality awarded "green," or healthy grades statewide through Thursday.
The Intermountain Allergy & Asthma website recorded "high" pollen levels for mulberry and "moderate" for mold, but other allergens were either "low" or did not register as of Tuesday.
For more extensive forecast information visit the Tribune's weather page at http://www.sltrib.com/news/weather/.
Twitter: @remims