This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Utah ushered in the New Year with a cold snap, and temperatures were expected to remain bone-chilling going into the holiday weekend.

As 2016 dawned, several locations reported sub-zero readings. Pineview Dam, west of Ogden, recorded a minus-11 overnight (Ogden itself was 5 degrees above zero); Logan dipped to minus-9, Bryce Canyon minus-8, Panguitch minus-7, Vernal minus-5, and Altamont shivered at minus-2 degrees.

Salt Lake City's low was 4, with a Friday high of 23 degrees forecast under sunny skies. On Saturday, when fog and sunshine were to compete, the capital was to climb to a high of 29, after an overnight low of 11.

Little or no new snowfall was forecast along the Wasatch Front through the weekend, though stiff winds — 35-50 mph in places — could stir existing snow cover and reduce motorists' visibility in the region's canyons. That prompted the Utah Department of Transportation to caution drivers about winter driving conditions through the state, especially along mountain passes.

Indeed, the western two-thirds of the state was under a Hazardous Weather Outlook advisory throughout the weekend, with snowfall expected to return to the state next Monday through Thursday.

The winter air inversion trapping pollutants along the Wasatch Front's urban valleys translated brought renewed cautions from the Utah Division of Air Quality. Along with warnings to those with sensitive health to limit outdoor activity, a mandatory ban on use of solid-fuel burning devices and open burning was in place for Salt Lake County on Friday.

Most other monitoring districts in the state — excepting "green" Washington and Carbon counties — were likewise graded "yellow," or moderate for particulate levels through this weekend.

Southern Utahns expected highs in the mid- to upper 40s on Saturday, a few degrees warmer than on New Year's Day. Friday's sunny skies were to give way to partly cloudy on Saturday. Overnight, lows will dip into the upper-20s.

Most of the state's backcountry mountain slopes — with the exception of the Uintas, rated "considerable" — were at "moderate" risk for potentially deadly snowslides as of Friday.

For more extensive forecast information, visit The Salt Lake Tribune's weather page at: http//www.sltrib.com/weather.

Twitter: @remims