This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The National Weather Service warned of a wet and wild denouement to the week as the first of a series of wind-driven storms approached the region.
A Hazardous Weather Outlook was in place Thursday through the weekend. The first pulse of the new late-winter storms began bringing valley rains and mountain snows late Thursday morning, strengthening toward evening and into early Friday.
Rainfall along the Wasatch Front, heavy at times, was to be accompanied by lightning and thunder. In the mountains, 4-8 inches of snow was forecast for elevations of 5,500 feet and higher — though it was expected to accumulate in significant amounts only above 8,000 feet.
The storms will be accompanied by winds of up to 40 mph, especially across western and southern Utah. A second wave of precipitation was expected to hit Saturday and Sunday.
Temperatures along the Wasatch Front were to range into the mid-50s Friday with gusty rain showers pelting the area in the early morning and late-afternoon.
Southern Utahns also expected breezy weather and occasional rain through Friday and into the weekend. Daytime highs were predicted to reach the low-60s.
The Utah Division of Air Quality declared all monitoring stations reporting "green" or healthy breathing conditions.
The Utah Avalanche Center rated the Uintas at "considerable" risk for potentially deadly backcountry snowslides, while "moderate" grades were given to the mountains above Logan, Ogden, Salt Lake City, Provo and Moab.
For more extensive forecast information, visit the Tribune's weather page at http://www.sltrib.com/weather.
Twitter: @remims High Mountain Road Snow/Slush Thursday •
Road conditions forecast through 3 a.m.. Friday
For Northern Utah:
For Northern Valleys (including I-15):
1.) Valley routes will run wet under any rain showers between 9 A.M. and 11 P.M. Thursday.
For Highway 89:
1.) Highway 89 over Logan Summit (east of Logan) will see periods of road slush under snow showers between 10 A.M. Thursday and 2 A.M. Friday. The most consistent period for road slush will be between 3 P.M. and 11 P.M. Thursday.
2.) Highway 89 through Cache Valley (Logan area) will run wet under any showers from 9 A.M. through 11 P.M. Thursday.
3.) Highway 89 over Sardine Summit (east of Brigham City) will run wet under any showers between 9 A.M. and 8 P.M. Thursday. Brief road slush will be a threat under any heavier snow showers between 8 P.M. Thursday and 1 A.M. Friday.
For I-80:
1.) I-80 over Parleys Summit (just east of Salt Lake City) will run wet under any showers between 6 A.M. and 2 P.M. Thursday. Brief road slush will be a threat under any heavier snow showers between 2 P.M. Thursday and 1 A.M. Friday.
For Highway 40:
1.) Periods of road slush will impact Highway 40 over Daniels Summit (between Heber and Duchesne) between 8 A.M. Thursday and 1 A.M. Friday. The most consistent period for road slush will be between 3 P.M. and 11 P.M. Thursday.
2.) Highway 40 over Mayflower Summit (between I-80 and Heber) will run wet under any showers from 6 A.M. through 2 P.M. Thursday. Brief road slush under any heavier showers will be a threat between 2 P.M. Thursday and 1 A.M. Friday.
For Highway 6:
2.) Highway 6 over Soldier Summit (between Spanish Fork and Price) will run wet under any showers between 6 A.M. and 3 P.M. Thursday. Road slush under heavier showers will be a threat between 3 P.M. and 11 P.M. Thursday.
For Highway 191:
1.) Highway 191 over Indian Canyon Summit (between Duchesne and Helper) will see periods of road slush under heavier snow showers between 1 P.M. and 11 P.M. Thursday.
2.) Highway 191 over the US-191 Summit north of Vernal will see periods of road slush under heavier snow showers between 5 P.M. and 11 P.M. Thursday.
For Northern Mountain Routes:
1.) SR-158 near Powder Mountain and SR-39 near the winter closure gate (east of Huntsville) will see periods of road snow/slush, particularly under any heavier showers, between 8 A.M. Thursday and 1 A.M. Friday. The most consistent period for road slush will be between 2 P.M. and 11 P.M. Thursday.
2.) SR-226 to Snowbasin and SR-167 at the top of Trappers Loop will run wet under any showers between 6 A.M. and 3 P.M. Thursday. Periods of slush under heavier snowfall will be a threat between 3 P.M. Thursday and 1 A.M. Friday.
3.) Periods of road slush under heavier snowfall will be a threat in Upper Big/Little Cottonwood Canyon (just east of the Salt Lake Valley) between 7 A.M. Thursday and 1 A.M. Friday. The best threat for road snow/slush will be between 2 P.M. and 11 P.M. Thursday.
4.) SR-35 near the Winter Closure Gates (between Woodland and Tabiona) and SR-150 at the winter closure gate (the Mirror Lake Highway) will see periods of road slush under heavier snow showers between 8 A.M. Thursday and 1 A.M. Friday. The best threat for road snow/slush will be between 2 P.M. and 11 P.M. Thursday.
For Central/Southern Utah:
For I-70:
1.) I-70 over Ivie Creek Summit (between Salina and Fremont Junction) will see brief periods of road slush under heavier snowfall between noon and 9 P.M. Thursday.
For Central/Southern Mountain Routes:
1.) Periods of light road snow under snow showers will impact SR-14 Summit (east of Cedar City), SR-143 Summit (east of Parowan), and SR-153 Summit (east of Beaver) between 10 A.M. and 8 P.M. Thursday.
2.) Periods of light road snow/slush under heavier snow showers will impact SR-12 over Boulder Summit (between Boulder and Torrey) from noon through 8 P.M. Thursday.
3.) Periods of road snow will impact SR-31 over SR-31 Summit (between Fairview and Huntington) and SR-264 over SR-264 Summit (between Highway 6 and SR-31) from 8 A.M. through 10 P.M. Thursday. The most consistent period for road slush will be between 11 A.M. and 8 P.M. Thursday.
4.) Periods of road snow/slush under snow showers will impact SR-72 Summit (between I-70 and Loa), Wayne Summit on SR-24 (between I-70 Loa) between noon and 10 P.M. Thursday.
— Source: Utah Department of Transportation