Would you believe ... there’s snow in the forecast for northern Utah?

Utah’s wild weather ride will continue this week, with spring seemingly taking a turn back toward winter on Thursday in northern Utah.

The normal high temperature at this time of year is 61, and it will be about 15-18 degrees above that on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The warm temperature and “intense sun” will “create widespread areas of unstable wet snow,” and both natural and human-caused avalanches are “certain,” according to the weather service. An avalanche warning is in effect until 6 a.m. Thursday, and Utahns are urged to avoid being on or near any area with slopes steeper than 30 degrees.

The danger is high in the Salt Lake, Logan, Ogden, Provo and Uintas areas, according to the Utah Avalanche Center. It’s considerable in the Skyline area, and moderate in the Moab area.

“The foothills are of particular concern,” the National Weather Service warns, “including areas such as walking paths and hiking trails that travel on or below slopes steeper than 30 degrees.”

Expect highs in the upper 60s and low 70s on Wednesday, before a storm moves in on Wednesday night and temperatures fall to the mid-30s. There’s a 40% chance of rain showers, mainly after midnight.

And on Thursday morning, there’s a 50% chance of snow showers. It’s possible there could be 1-3 inches of accumulation, according to the National Weather Service. Thursday’s high temperature is expected to be in the low 40s, about 20 degrees below normal.

And the forecast for Thursday’s overnight low is about 30 — just below freezing. There’s a slight chance of more snow on Friday.

The drop in temperatures will slow melting of Utah’s winter snowpack as the state braces for flooding.

Temperatures will bounce back, however, rising to the low to mid-50s on Friday; the low 60s on Saturday; and the low 70s on Sunday.

There’s no precipitation in the forecast for southern Utah through the weekend, but temperatures will drop. The forecast for the St. George area is for temperatures to reach the upper 80s on Tuesday and the mid-80s on Wednesday, then fall to the low 70s on Thursday and Friday before bouncing back to the upper 70s on Saturday and the low to mid-80s on Sunday.

Normal highs for St. George are 74-75.

from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/l93LS5s