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SALT LAKE CITY — A cold front that swept through Utah on Thursday is providing another sign that summer is coming to an end.
The National Weather Service issued a freeze warning for parts of the Wasatch Backcountry, including Heber City, Huntsville and Park City, where temperatures could drop into the upper 20s and low 30s between Thursday night and Friday morning.
It's this season's first freeze warning. Federal forecasters say residents should protect plants from the cold in advance, as well as any outdoor plumbing.
"Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing," the warning states. "Clear skies and light winds will allow temperatures to drop ... with frost and freeze conditions throughout much of the Wasatch Back."
With clear skies behind a cold front, low temperatures will drop into the upper 20s to lower 30s along the Wasatch Back Thursday night through Friday morning, bringing widespread frost and freeze conditions. Take precautions now to avoid property damage or crop loss! #utwxpic.twitter.com/rJyZ5FMtfN
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) September 12, 2024
Overnight temperatures are also expected to drop to the upper 30s around the Logan area. It is forecast to remain in the upper 40s and lower 50s across the Wasatch Front, though it could be the coolest temperature recorded in Salt Lake City since it dropped to 45 degrees in mid-June.
The cold front also helped clear out thick wildfire smoke that arrived from California on Wednesday ahead of the system. Salt Lake City had — at points — the worst air quality index score among the 119 global cities that the company IQAir tracks.
KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson said models indicated the cold front could bring another round of smoke into Utah from fires burning in Idaho and Oregon on Thursday, but state air quality sensors had yet to pick up smoke from those fires by 3:30 p.m.
Weather service meteorologists said it appears that the storms that the system provided north of Utah appeared to provide enough moisture to suppress smoke plumes in the region. Models had projected any lingering smoke would have dissipated by Friday evening.
Meanwhile, more seasonal temperatures are forecast to return this weekend before a slightly bigger cooldown early next week. Full seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online, at the KSL Weather Center.
