Winter weather advisories issued ahead of the next storm to hit Utah

SALT LAKE CITY – Meteorologists warn the storm approaching Utah could make for some difficult mountainous driving in the coming days. Still, skiers and snowboarders are hoping the storm brings more treats than tricks in Utah’s mountains before Halloween.

The National Weather Service offices in Salt Lake City and Grand Junction have issued a series of winter weather advisories for Utah’s mountain ranges, where up to a foot of snow could fall between Monday evening and Wednesday morning — and possibly more in some areas.

An inch or two of snow is also forecast for the Wasatch Backcountry communities, while some snow is possible along the valley floors, but rain is more likely.

Storm timing

A few lingering showers are forecast for Monday from a small system in central and southern Utah, but a low-pressure system coming from the Pacific Northwest will break a calm that has developed over most of the state after a helpful mid-October storm.

A cold front ahead of the storm is expected to arrive in Utah around the late afternoon and early evening hours Monday, bringing a wave of showers, KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson said. Windy conditions are forecast ahead of arrival, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour in places like Cedar City on Monday.

Rain is expected along most of the Wasatch Front and northern Utah by evening. The wave of precipitation is expected to continue in those regions overnight and spread to most of the state by early Tuesday.

“This will be the brunt of the system. It’s a night game,” Johnson said, adding that the snow line will start at about 7,000 feet and above, but will drop to about 5,000 feet Tuesday morning as showers continue.

Scattered showers are forecast across the state through Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning as the core of the storm moves out of the state.

Projected accumulations

The National Weather Service’s winter weather advisories provide several forecasts for snow accumulation over the next few days. They state:

• Six to 12 inches of snow is possible along the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains. The upper Cottonwood Canyons could see more than 6 inches of snow, but a weather service snow projection model estimates most resorts in the canyon will top out at about a foot.
• Four to eight inches of snow is possible along the Abajo, Book Cliffs/Wasatch Plateau, the Central Mountains, La Sal and the Southern Mountains. Amounts closer to 1 foot are possible over the Tushar Range and the ridges near Fillmore.
• Two to three inches of snow are possible along the Wasatch Backcountry and southwestern Wyoming.

The Wasatch Backcountry Advisory states there is a potential for “locally higher amounts” of up to 8 inches in areas like Park City and parts of Uinta County, Wyoming, but the weather service’s snow projection model lists only an inch or two. The difference may have to do with when and where the snow line is located.

Regardless, the agency says drivers should prepare for “winter driving conditions” on high-altitude roads.

“Hazardous conditions may impact commutes on Tuesday morning and evening,” the warnings said.

However, it’s good news for the state’s 15 resorts as they prepare for the new ski year. Brian Head Resort plans to be the first resort to open this year, with November 8 as the official opening day.

Meanwhile, a KSL weather model predicts the most precipitation will fall along the Wasatch and Central Mountains, which could see nearly an inch of rainfall by late Tuesday. Not as much as expected elsewhere, but most regions have the potential to collect 0.10 inches or more.

Johnson said a pocket between the southern half of the Wasatch Front and Cedar City has the best chance of accumulating half an inch of precipitation between valley locations.

The timing will likely result in potentially slippery roads during the Tuesday morning commute.

Another temperature drop

Utah’s latest run of above-normal temperatures will end with the coming storm.

High temperatures on the Wasatch Front and northern Utah will max out in the upper 40s and low 50s on Tuesday and Wednesday after reaching 72 degrees in some areas on Sunday. High temperatures on Monday will fall into the upper 50s and low 60s in the regions.

Multiple freeze warnings have been issued across the state, including parts of the Wasatch Front, where freezing temperatures are possible between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.

As for southern Utah, highs in the mid-70s are forecast in the St. George and Moab regions on Monday. They will drop into the mid-50s and low 60s on Tuesday and Wednesday.

A slight warming is forecast for Halloween before another storm potentially hits the state this weekend.

Complete seven-day forecasts for areas in Utah can be found online at the KSL Weather Center.