This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
A storm is expected to bring a dusting of snow to the mountains Tuesday as temperatures drop and clouds cover the state.
With rain showers predicted in the valleys, snow is expected to fall at 8,000 feet elevation and higher — with 4 to 6 inches accumulating in the highest mountains, according to the National Weather Service.
Along the Wasatch Front, Tuesday was to bring a 15-20 degree drop in temperatures from Monday's highs in the low 80s — along with rain showers and morning and afternoon thunderstorms and rain showers.
Southern Utahns, too, were to see a cooling trend, albeit a modest one. Tuesday's temperatures were to range into the upper-80s, down about 5 degrees from Monday's highs.
Diminishing heat and wetter weather overall were hoped to ease the fire hazard. On Monday, however, huge swaths of Utah — the northwest quarter along with the southwest and southcentral regions — remained under elevated wildfire danger warnings through 10 p.m.
Exacerbating the potential for explosive wildfires in the state's parched high deserts and forests were winds of 25-35 mph with gusts topping 50 mph. The National Weather Service put the San Rafael Swell, the Sanpete and Sevier valleys, westcentral and southwestern and southcentral Utah under a Wind Advisory from noon through 9 p.m. Monday.
One thing all that upper-atmosphere instability brought was cleaner air. The Utah Division of Air Quality rated the entire state "green," of healthy, with the exception of Washington County, which had a "yellow," or compromised air quality grade.
The Intermountain Allergy & Asthma website's pollen index on Friday was "very high" only for grass, though mold and plantain earned "moderate" grades for allergens.
For more extensive forecast information, visit The Tribune's weather page at http://www.sltrib.com/weather.
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