Winter forecast calls for a good snow shovel but not thermal undies

The upcoming winter is predicted to produce lots of snow — you listening, skiers? — but not a lot of frigid weather.

The National Weather Service has done a three-month outlook and predicts equal chances for above normal temperatures and above normal precipitation during November, December and January.

The temperature probability includes all of Utah except a sliver of land running along the Utah-Colorado border.

The precipitation outlook includes all of the state except a small area in the southeast corner on the Arizona border.

During the first half of November, the weather in Salt Lake City has been — as predicted — warmer than normal and also wetter than normal.

The Salt Lake International Airport received 1.43 inches of moisture through mid-November, compared to a normal of 0.65 inches of moisture,

The airport had an average of 49 degrees, nine degrees above the long-term normal of 40 degrees.

Warmer and wetter was also the pattern for the 2007-08 winter.

Last year, most Utah cities exceeded their snow removal budgets, inundated by precipitation. Alta Ski Resort enjoyed one of its biggest snowfall season ever.

Below-zero weather — at least in the Salt Lake Valley — has become rarer and rarer. It was all too frequent in the disastrous winter of 1948-49 with 24 days dipping to zero degrees or below versus the Salt Lake average of only three such days per winter.

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E-mail: lynn@desnews.com