By Lane Stilson
Now that last week?s inversion is gone, Utah County residents can start preparing for the snow.
A substantial snowstorm is expected to hit the Provo-area on Thanksgiving night, said David James, BYU weather station overseer. James said snowstorms over Thanksgiving are unsusal, so students should be careful traveling this weekend.
Chrissie Sant, 21, a BYU student from Corona, Calif., said she went home for Thanksgiving three years ago only to return to a wintry mess.
?We hit snow just before Beaver, and it was late at night, so it was dark, snowy and scary,? Sant said. ?I just started freaking out because it was the first year that I?d be living in a colder climate with snow.?
Though some warm-weather lovers may be disappointed with the expected storm, the snow will help the state keep pace toward reaching normal precipitation for the year. Since January, Utah has received 17 inches of precipitation, which is only 3 inches shy of normal, James said.
In October, BYU?s weather station recorded about 5 inches of rain, almost 3 inches above BYU?s normal precipitation for the month.
?At least it?s better than the last four or five years,? James said. ?We?re on the up and up it looks like for water.?
For the month of November, James said Utah Valley needs about another inch of precipitation, but this weekend?s possible storm will help out.
Winter temperatures are also expected to be average or warmer than average. This year is an El Nino year, meaning the southern United States is usually wetter and warmer than normal. James said these conditions sometimes reach up into Utah.
El Nino or no El Nino, students whose families live in areas colder than Provo are often happy to return to school.
?I wouldn?t say that it is balmy down in Provo, but it is definitely more mild,? said Lindsay Roberts, a junior from Cardston, Alberta, Canada. ?I love Provo in comparison because I hate being cold.?
Roberts said some of her friends who are attending the University of Alberta say they have to wear snowboarding gear to travel just a few blocks to school. On a good day, she said they can go with just thermals and coats.
Roberts said she hates the cold. This year she?ll be spending her Thanksgiving vacation on a cruise with her husband in the Caribbean.
For those not going to the Carribean this Thanksgiving break, Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Ted Tingey advises students to be prepared before traveling and to give themselves extra time for their trips to and from home.
For up-to-date traffic information in Utah, students can dial 511 free of charge.