Campers keeping fingers crossed for summer temperatures

SALT LAKE CITY — The Memorial Day weekend is set to feature another roller-coaster weather ride, and due to recent abnormal weather patterns witnessed across the state, many of the traditional hot spots for campers remain closed.

However, many Utahns are anxious to get the summer started, and Vern Utley, of Alpine, says he's heading up American Fork Canyon "to get away from it all."

"The mountains and the trees and the water ?— it's all about relaxing and having a little respite from the journey of life," he said. He and his wife were fortunate enough to reserve a campground before many across the state were snatched up.

"If you don't have your campsite reserved right now or are in a first come-first served location by now, it's very unlikely you'll have a place to camp," Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Park spokesman Loyal Clark said Thursday. Only higher elevation sites at many state parks, where the weather is cooler, remain unbooked throughout the weekend. Some still lie dormant underneath piles of late spring snow.

"The kickoff to summer is here," Grant Weyman, KSL-TV weathercaster, said. "But a colder storm is about to make its move. Warm and windy (Friday) with some strong gusts. ... Much colder (Saturday) with more rain showers possible. It looks better for Sunday and Monday, however. Warmer and dry next week."

Weyman expects Memorial Day to reach 80 degrees.

After a sunny, warm start on Friday morning, cooler temperatures and a threat of rain and scattered thunderstorms along the Wasatch Front rolled in for the afternoon and will linger through much of Saturday. Beyond that, however, "mostly sunny skies and a return to normal or above temperatures" is expected, according to meteorologists at National Weather Service's Salt Lake office.

Saturday is expected to cool off to a high near 60 degrees in Salt Lake, with a 30 percent chance of rain and an afternoon threat of thunderstorms. Nighttime temps may dip into the low 40s.

By Sunday, the weather service is forecasting mostly sunny skies and temperatures up to 70 degrees for the valley. Clear skies on Monday will raise the temperatures even more. Rain isn't expected to grace the valley again until late next week. However, in an already wet month of May, more than 2.77 inches of moisture has been recorded at the airport, which is 147 percent of normal levels.

Cherry Hill Resort in Fruit Heights reported that it is "not too crowded" Friday, as it has been for most Memorial Day weekends in the past. Meanwhile, Farmington's Lagoon reported a campground at capacity for the holiday weekend.