Trick or treat: 'Spooky-less' Halloween to make way for wind, snow this week

SALT LAKE CITY — Monday evening should be a treat for Utah's trick-or-treaters, but another wintry storm is expected to knock on Utah's door later this week, providing windy conditions and possibly up to a foot of snow in the mountains.

The National Weather Service issued a "not so frightful" Halloween forecast, noting that treat-or-treaters should expect mostly clear skies and "seasonal" temperatures.

The forecast calls for temperatures to remain in the 50s throughout the Wasatch Front, northern Utah and parts of southeast Utah early Monday evening. It's expected to remain in the upper 60s in and around St. George, and drop to the mid-to-upper 40s in Vernal.

"(It's) a spotless, spooky-less Halloween, if you will," said KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson.

Wind and precipitation return

The pleasant start to the week won't last too much longer than that. A high-pressure system that's behind the pleasant, seasonal weather will make way for another storm system that will provide rain, snow and much cooler temperatures for the rest of the week.

"All good things must come to an end, and we'll see big changes moving in once we get through Halloween," said KSL meteorologist Kristen Van Dyke. "A big cold front is going to start to come through, moving into our direction by Tuesday, sweeping through Wednesday to bring a dramatic drop in temperatures and it's also going to bring some snow with it."

It starts with the wind ahead of a cold front that is inching toward Utah from the Pacific Northwest.

The weather service on Monday issued a high wind watch that stretches across most of Utah's western border, taking effect at noon Tuesday. The advisory states that southern winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph are expected in the West Desert to southwest Utah, as well as parts of the Wasatch Front, Tuesday afternoon through the evening.

Most of the precipitation is expected Wednesday as the front slides through the state, bringing a mixture of rain and snow for most parts of the state.

"We'll have rain starting to change into snow by Wednesday night for the lower elevations — then the mountains getting the snow," Van Dyke said. "Then, by Thursday, (the storm will) shift to south and east, and we'll have snow continuing in our mountains."

The weather service says current models forecast 6 to 12 inches of snow in the mountains between Wednesday morning and late Thursday. Even some southwest valleys, aside from lower Washington County, may receive anywhere from a trace to 6 inches of snow.

The agency notes that drivers should prepare for winter driving conditions and mountain traction restrictions on Wednesday and Thursday.

Temperatures will also drop with the storm. While highs are expected to remain in the 60s along the Wasatch Front and in the 70s in St. George through Tuesday, high temperatures will fall back into the low-to-mid 40s across the Wasatch Front and northern Utah and 50s in and around St. George.

Low temperatures may drop into the teens in areas around Logan, in the Wasatch Back like Park City and in parts of southern Utah, including Cedar City, by the end of the workweek. Overnight lows throughout most of the Wasatch Front are also forecast to fall below freezing by Friday.

Another storm system may arrive in northern Utah over the weekend, which could provide more rain and snow, Van Dyke added.

Full seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online, at the KSL Weather Center.

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