Most Utahns missed the spectacular Leonids meteor shower Wednesday night and Thursday morning because of clouds, but they had compensation: rain and snow showers.

Snow in the mountains will help the ski resorts open. If resorts didn't get enough of it naturally, the frigid weather that set in should keep the runs cold enough for snow-making machinery to work.Utah's lengthy spell of warm, dry autumnal weather ended when the storm powered through the state starting about 1 p.m. Wednesday. Before its cold temperatures hit, a few more high-temperature records fell.

"We're back to reality now," said William J. Alder, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service regional office in Salt Lake City.

No doubt to the relief of ski resorts, snow fell in the mountains: 7 inches at Solitude, Alta and Snowbird. Tom's Hill in Big Cottonwood Canyon caught 8 inches, Deer Valley 2. Alta welcomed 6 inches, Silver Fork in Big Cottonwood received 5 inches, Upper Mill Creek had 1 inch, while North Salt Lake got 1 inch. Tooele had half an inch of snow.

"The snow level came down to probably about 5,000 feet last night," said Alder. Some may have reached as low an elevation as 4,700 or 4,800 feet.

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But before temperatures fell, records fell. Salt Lake City recorded 70 degrees, besting the record for the date set in 1968.

Hanksville had a new high for the date, 73 degrees, compared with 72 degrees in 1986. Brigham City's 69 was six degrees above the 1995 record. Highs in Salt Lake City, Hanksville and Brigham City also set new marks for the hottest this late in the year.

Powerful wind gusts blew through Utah with the arrival of the storm: 61 miles per hour in American Fork, 51 mph at Highland, Utah County; 69 mph at Cardiff, Little Cottonwood Canyon. After the storms end around Monday, Alder predicts the weather should turn drier for the rest of the week.

"Thanksgiving looks dry and cool," he said.

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