This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
High and dry — high pressure and no precipitation.
That's the forecast and it just doesn't want to change.
"What everybody wants to know is, when is this pattern going to change so we'll get some storminess?" said Larry Dunn, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City. "If it's going to happen, it will be toward the end of January, but we don't see it yet."
October and November had above-average precipitation in northern Utah, Dunn said. But December was the driest on record. And thus far, January has been bone dry.
But the high temperatures over the last week or so have been warmer than most of December. That, said Dunn, is because the high pressure ridge that was parked just off the West Coast is now directly over the western portion of the country.
"In December, we were being missed by splitting storms," he said. "But now, the storm track has been pushed up into Canada."
There have been comparisons between this winter and that of 1976-77. December 1976 was the second driest on record. But, Dunn noted, October and November of that year also were dry, unlike last fall.
In 1976, it finally began to snow in the third week of February, he said. The storminess continued through March.
The weather service near-term forecast calls for a weak, dry front to pass through northern Utah on Friday. A second system Saturday could provide a small amount of precipitation, although forecast models remain unclear how much moisture it will bring.
The, the strong high pressure ridge is expected to build back into the area by the first of next week.
Northern Utah valleys will see the mercury climb to the high 40s Thursday with hazy conditions and a "yellow" air quality rating. Lows Thursday night into Friday morning should be around freezing.
In Park City, the high Thursday will hit 50 or higher under sunny skies. Lows Friday morning are forecast for 24.
The mercury will climb to 60 degrees in St. George Thursday. Friday morning's low is expected to be 30 degrees.