Utah forecast: A drier, warmer trend at the mid-week

Northern Utah's wet beginning to this week will ease toward drier, though still cloudy skies on Wednesday.

However, scattered rain showers and isolated thunderstorms still were in evidence Tuesday along the Wasatch Front. The region's high temperatures were pegged in the upper-50s Tuesday, with the mercury expected to rise into the mid-60s on Wednesday.

Southern Utahns arose Tuesday to partly cloudy skies with high temperatures later in the day ranging into the low-70s. Wednesday's forecast was for clear, sunny skies and highs approaching 80 degrees.

The Utah Division of Air Quality rated breathability statewide at "Green," or healthy.

However, the Utah Avalanche Center warned mountain backcountry skiers, snowboarders and snowmobilers to keep a wary eye on the slopes. The risk for avalanches was rated at "considerable" for the mountains above Salt Lake City Tuesday morning, while the rest of the state — with the exception of a "low" risk rating for Moab — fell into the "moderate" danger range.

Salt lake City's high temperature Wednesday was expected to hit 66, up from Tuesday's 59-degree forecast; Ogden looked for 64 and 59 degrees, respectively; Provo 67 and 59; Logan 62 and 60; Wendover 65 and 60' Duchesne 63 and 57; Cedar City 65 and 57; St. George 81 and 73; and Moab 68 and 59 degrees.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims