Utah forecast: Warm, sunny and wheezy, sneezy days ahead

Ah, spring, when a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love. Well, at least until his fair maiden erupts with a pollen-induced, seismic event-level sneeze, and a towel is not to be found.

Yes, Wasatch Front allergies would be enough to cool the ardor of even poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, and the Intermountain Allergy & Asthma website warned that the region's allergen levels are elevated going into the midweek.

The primary culprit would be cottonwood trees, specifically Populus angustifolia, or the Narrowleaf Cottonwood and its beautiful but misery-laden, windborne seed puffs. As of Tuesday, levels of cottonwood pollen were "high."

Rising into the "moderate" zone are the pollens of oak, maple, Box Elder and ash trees.

No allergies? Then the outdoors will be your Xanadu. The Utah Division of Air Quality rates all regions of the state in the "green," or healthy breathing category.

Temperatures along the Wasatch Front were heading into the mid-70s on Wednesday under mostly sunny skies, a mirror of the forecast for Tuesday. Both days were forecast to see winds of 10-20 mph in the afternoons and evenings.

The southern reaches of Utah looked for temperatures in the mid- to upper-80s under mostly clear skies. Again, winds of 10-20 mph to expected to kick in by the afternoon and evening hours.

For more extensive forecast information, visit the Tribune's weather page at www.sltrib.com/weather.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims