Latest ABC4 Weather Forecast

Get the latest ABC4 KTVX Pinpoint Forecast right here:

ABC4 Dan Pope's Pinpoint Forecast - afternoon February 18th 2015

SNOWLESS IN SALT LAKE CITY!

Post by Dan Pope.

Smith and Morehouse Reservoir 2013

Smith and Morehouse Reservoir Utah scenic photos - Matt Pope 2013

ABC4 Chief Meteorologist Dan Pope's Pinpoint Forecast - February 17th, 2015

Moab 2006

Moab Utah scenic photos - Matt Pope 2006

Saint George 2003

Saint George Utah scenic photos - Matt Pope 2003

Snow Canyon 2003

Snow Canyon Utah scenic photos - Matt Pope 2003

ABC4 Dan Pope's Pinpoint Forecast - Evening - February 17th, 2015

Fox 13 Morning forecast for February 17th, 2015

KUTV - Weather forecast for Tuesday evening, Februrary 17, 2015

ABC4 Chief Meteorologist Dan Pope's Pinpoint Forecast - February 16th, 2015

Short sleeve WX for Utah's Dixie! Lots of sunshine next 7 days with temps in the 70's

Short sleeve WX for Utah's Dixie! Lots of sunshine next 7 days with temps in the 70's. @good4utah #utahwx pic.twitter.com/qiDNUlU67J

— Dan Pope (@DanGood4Utah) February 10, 2015

Will we go 5 for 5 in record breaking high temps for SLC?

Will we go 5 for 5 in record breaking high temps for SLC? Tune to ABC4 Utah this week to find out #good4utah pic.twitter.com/XVfcAUF79O

— Dan Pope (@DanGood4Utah) February 5, 2015

Unusually warm weather for February

Post by Dan Pope Good4Utah.

January Monthly Weather Almanac

January Monthly Weather Almanac
in Text and Link Format

WeatherCasts:
7-Day Forecasts by ABC4 Weather:
     http://www.abc4.tv/weather/
7-Day Forecasts by the National Weather Service:
     http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/forecast/textproduct.php?pil=SFT&sid=UT

ClimateCasts:
Driest Days of January in Salt Lake City (<30% Chance of Precipitation):
     1, 6-9, 21, 25-26, 29
Wettest Days of January in Salt Lake City (>35% Chance of Precipitation):
     5, 10-11, 13, 15-16, 18, 23, 28
Long-Range Climatic Outlook (by the UCCW):      http://www.utahweather.org/UWC/utahs_climate/long_range_outlook.html
Long-Range Climatic Outlook (by the NWS-CPC):
     http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/two_class.html
Climatic normals and records:
     http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/summary/climsmut.html
Historical daily weather events in Utah:
     http://www.utahweather.org/UWC/utahs_daily_wx_almanac/Utahs_daily_weather_history.html

AstroCasts:
Lunar Phases:
     http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/vphase.html
For visible planets and other astronomical events:
     http://www.hansenplanetarium.net/
For Sunrise & Sunset Tables, Moon Rise & Moon Set Tables:      http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.html

Holiday Weather Information for Salt Lake City:
     http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/Saltlake/climate/holidaywx.html

Utah Weather Cameras

UDOT CommuterLink Cameras

Olympus Cove
Earthcam (for Utah locations)
Sevier River area cameras

Impact of El Nino or La Nina on Weather Patterns

El Nino and La Nina Home Page (NWS-CPC)

Wood Burning Advisories

In the fall of 1992, a Wood and Coal Burning Control Program was instituted by the Department of Environmental Quality for the State of Utah, in cooperation with the public, to control woodsmoke emissions and carbon monoxide along the Wasatch Front. The woodburning program was started because chemical analysis of particulate filters showed that 16% of the particulate on the filters came from woodsmoke. The idea is to prevent an exceedance of the particulate, or PM10 (National Standard of 150 micrograms/cubic meter), and the carbon monoxide standard (9 parts per million) during winter inversions. The program starts on November 1 and ends on March 1.

The Wood and Coal Burning Control Program uses three colors (green, yellow and red) to let the public know when they can or cannot burn wood or coal in stoves or fireplaces. Green means wood/coal burning is allowed. Yellow means a voluntarily reduction of all wood/coal burning. Red means to stop all residential burning--unless the wood/coal stove or fireplace is the only source of heat for the home. Warnings and fines may be levied against anyone ignoring a no-burn period.

Click here for more information on Utah's Wood and Coal Burning Advisories. 

Much of the information for this section originally appeared in the copyrighted book Utah's Weather and Climate, edited by Dan Pope and Clayton Brough, in 1996. UCCW Directors have received permission from the copyright owners of this book to reproduce such information on its website and to revise and updated it where appropriate.

Weather Terms and Definitions

Climate: The average and expected weather conditions of an area over a long period of time--usually for 30 years or more.

Climatologist: A person who studies the climate and its effect on the environment. Climatologists analyze long-term weather patterns and make long-range weather predictions. Today, a professional climatologist usually has a degree in climatology, geography, or meteorology.

Cold front: The boundary between an advancing cold air mass and a relatively warmer air mass. Generally characterized by steady precipitation followed by showers.

Disturbance/Impulse: An unsettled area of weather located in the middle or upper part of the atmosphere. Clouds and precipitation are often present.

Fair: Less than 4/10ths opaque cloud cover, no precipitation, and no extremes in temperature, visibility or wind.

Front: The transition zone between two distinct air masses. The basic types are cold, warm, and occluded fronts. Stormy weather is often found along a front.

High: The center of a high-pressure area, which is an air mass with barometric pressure exceeding atmospheric pressure. Usually brings dry, fair weather, and is accompanied by outward wind flow.

Hydrologist: A person who studies the properties and distribution of water. Hydrologists analyze the earth's water supply and predict surface runoff. Today, a professional hydrologist usually has a degree in hydrology, engineering, or meteorology.

Inversion: Warmer air above colder air, a reversal of the normal situation.

Jet stream: Strong narrow bands of winds in the atmosphere. These winds often steer fronts and low-pressure systems.

Low: The center of a low-pressure area, which is an air mass with barometric pressure less than atmospheric pressure. Usually accompanied by cyclonic and inward wind flow, and often produces cloudy, stormy weather..

Meteorologist: A person who studies the atmosphere and its weather. Meteorologist analyze atmospheric phenomena and make short and medium-range weather forecasts. Today, a professional meteorologist usually has a degree in meteorology or physics. 

Microburst: A strong local downdraft from a thunderstorm with peak gusts lasting two to five minutes.

Orographic uplift: Air forced vertically by hills and mountains. It can create clouds and rain. 

Precipitation: Any water, whether liquid or solid that falls from the atmosphere to the ground. It includes rain, snow, hail and sleet.

Precipitation Probability: The stated probability (or percent change) of precipitation is a specific forecast giving the chance for precipitation at any point in the forecast area. For example: if a 40% probability is forecast for a specific location, measurable precipitation (above a "trace") should be received at that location four times out of 10 such forecasts; or there are four chances out of 10 that it will rain at a particular point during the period of the forecast.

Words used to qualify such probability forecasts--known as "expression of uncertainty"--are as follows:

%	Expressions	Area Qualifying
0%	None	None
10-20%	Slight chance	Isolated or few
30-50%	Chance	Scattered
60-70%	Likely	Numerous
80-100%	Near certain	Near certain

Ridge: An elongated area of high pressure in the atmosphere.

Showers: Precipitation that starts and stops suddenly, or that occurs for only a short period of time.

Trace: A precipitation amount too small to measure. Less than one hundredth of an inch of precipitation.

Trough: An elongated area of low pressure.

Virga: Streaks or wisps of precipitation falling from a cloud but evaporating before reaching the ground.

Weather: The condition of the atmosphere at any given time and place with respect to temperature, pressure, winds, humidity, cloudiness, precipitation, etc.

Williams Wave: A "wave" that forms on a cold front because of developing low pressure in Nevada. The wave moves eastward along the front, causing the front to stall and intensify. The front then produces heavy precipitation as it moves through Utah. This meteorological phenomena is called a "Williams Wave" after meteorologist Phil Williams who discovered that this type of storm can bring very heavy snow to Salt Lake City. A Williams Wave can bring four to six inches of snow in less than twelve hours to the valleys of the Wasatch Front, and one to two feet of snow within 24 hours to the higher Wasatch Mountains. Depending on the position of the jet stream and storm front, central and southern Utah can also experience Williams Waves.

Much of the information for this section originally appeared in the copyrighted book Utah's Weather and Climate, edited by Dan Pope and Clayton Brough, in 1996. UCCW Directors have received permission from the copyright owners of this book to reproduce such information on its website and to revise and updated it where appropriate.