Wasatch Front snowfall a surprise

Meteorologists know not to be surprised by the weather.

Even though their computer models had predicted snow down to 7,500 feet for early Saturday, many residents awoke to a dusting, or slightly more, along the Wasatch Front.

Snowfall scraped the 4,500-foot mark from Farmington northward in a rare late-summer snowstorm.

The storm brought a record-cold maximum temperature to the Salt Lake City International Airport: 53 degrees.

That beat the old record of 55 degrees set in 1965, said Mark Struthwolf, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

With clouds expected to clear the state Saturday night, he said freezing temperatures are possible this morning.

In South Ogden, at 4,800 feet, snow piled up to one-half inch, Struthwolf said.

Because the atmosphere was so unstable, intense precipitation can result in snowfall at lower altitudes, he said.

In Salt Lake County, residents at 5,400 feet and above saw trace amounts of snow.

Residents in Utah County also reported snow in the air, Struthwolf said.

Residents can expect to put away their umbrellas and rain coats for the rest of this week, Struthwolf said. Utahns can expect to see highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s through Wednesday night.

There is still potential to have some 80-degree days, Struthwolf said.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com