This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
No need to dream of a white Christmas, Utah, meteorologists expect it to become a reality.
The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City forecasts a weak storm to drop one to four inches of snow across the northern mountains through Sunday morning, with a chance of light snow in the northern valleys.
A stronger storm is expected to follow, lasting through Monday across the state.
Rain in the valleys on Sunday night will turn into snow Monday, leaving a fresh blanket of two to four inches by Christmas morning. The benches could see a little more snow than that.
For the mountains, snow — heavy at times — will start Sunday night and continue through Monday evening, with accumulations possibly in excess of 12 inches.
The weather service warns holiday travelers that winter driving conditions are possible late Sunday night through Monday night across much of Utah.
After the snowstorms, Utahns can expect a chilly Christmas Day, with highs in the 30s most places. Southern Utah skies will be sunny, though the forecast calls for partly cloudy skies in the Salt Lake Valley and mostly cloudy toward Logan.
The Utah Avalanche Center also warns that dangerous avalanche conditions will exist through the weekend and beyond in the western Uinta and Manti Skyline mountain areas. Forecasters also rate the mountains near Salt Lake City, Ogden, Logan, Provo and Moab at having "moderate" risks for dangerous backcountry snow slides for at least Sunday.
Backcountry travelers can check the latest avalanche conditions at utahavalanchecenter.org or by calling 888-999-4019.
As for air quality, the Utah Division of Air Quality gives a statewide "green," or healthy grade, through Monday.
The Salt Lake City forecast calls for a high of 43 degrees on Sunday, followed by highs of 39 on Monday and 35 on Tuesday; Ogden expects 39, 36 and 33 degrees, respectively; Provo 41, 38 and 34; Logan 38, 34 and 31; Wendover 40, 38 and 35; Duchesne 33, 31 and 28; Cedar City 41, 37 and 35; St. George 50, 50 and 45; Moab 36, 38 and 32.
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