This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As if you need another reason to stay around the holiday feast on Thanksgiving Day, Utah's weather forecast gives you a few: cold, fog and smog.
The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for Thursday covering the western two-thirds of the state, and forecasters warn of low clouds and periodically dense fog that will cut drivers' visibility to a quarter-mile or less.
That pattern will be in place through the weekend, too.
Then, there's the matter of air quality: It's getting worse.
The Utah Division of Air Quality rated Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, Weber, Box Elder, Cache and Tooele counties in the "yellow," or moderate range, for breathability on Thanksgiving. So, it's probably better to stay indoors and inhale the aroma of those holiday turkey legs and hams than venture out into the muck.
However, the air typically is cleaner in the mountains, and that's where a lot of Utahns, and ski tourists from out of state, will make Thanksgiving excursions. Backcountry skiers should take note, though: The Utah Avalanche Center issued "moderate" risk ratings for potentially dangerous snow slides.
Under partly cloudy skies, the Wasatch Front looked for a holiday temperature range from the low-30s overnight to upper-40s for daytime times.
Southern Utahns also expected partly cloudy skies to usher in daytime highs in the upper-50s after overnight lows in the low-30s.
For a veritable cornucopia of more extensive weather breakdowns of what is ahead, visit the Tribune's weather page: sltrib.com/weather.
Twitter: @remims