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SALT LAKE CITY — A winter storm now forecast to move into Utah Saturday morning is expected to bring more snow than originally thought.
In fact, winter storm watches were issued Friday for sections of eastern, central and southern Utah ahead of the storm.
Wasatch Front and northern Utah
The storm, which was originally expected to move in on Friday, is now anticipated to arrive Saturday morning. It's now believed to bring anywhere from 1 to 5 inches of snow in valley communities like Logan, Ogden, Salt Lake City and Provo — with more snow for the southern portion of the Wasatch Front, according to the National Weather Service.
Details on a very weak storm system Friday and a stronger system Saturday. #utwxpic.twitter.com/V68F3voqL4
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) December 10, 2020
"By the end of the day (Saturday), we're looking at some shovel material right here for the valleys," said KSL meteorologist Grant Weyman.
Some scattered flurries were expected in northern Utah Friday but weren't expected to produce much snow, Weyman added. He said air quality will likely remain poor until a cold front pushing the stronger storm comes in.
The storm is projected to bring even heavier snow totals for Utah's mountains, which is good news for resorts. The weather service forecasts 5 to 10 inches of snow at Alta, 4 to 8 inches at Daniels Summit, and 3 to 7 inches at Ben Lomond.
Central, eastern and southern Utah
Some places in southeastern Utah already got a taste of snow. Another storm that passed through the region produced 2 inches of snow in Bluff on Thursday, according to KSL meteorologist Kevin Eubank.
Communities like Nephi, Manti, Richfield and Price could experience anything from a trace to multiple inches of snow Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Bryce Canyon, Cedar City and Hanksville are areas that could receive anywhere from a trace of snow to an inch or two.
The weather service on Friday issued a winter storm watch for the Western Uinta Mountains, Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs, Central Mountains and Southern Mountains in the state that goes into effect Friday night and expires Saturday evening. It stated that heavy snow is a possibility with a forecast of 8 to 16 inches in the mountain areas.
The storm may also make travel on I-15 difficult at times on Saturday.
"Winter driving conditions are expected along high elevation routes Saturday including higher summits along I-15 from Scipio to Cedar City," the weather service warned. "Gusty winds may bring periods of blowing snow."
More on the way
The adjusted forecast doesn't change one key detail, which is that more snow is projected to be on the way. More snow is expected to roll in on Monday with another storm by midweek and another at the tail end of next week in the longer-range forecast, Eubank said.
"It just keeps on coming," he said.
Full forecasts for other parts of Utah can be found at the KSL Weather Center.
