Winter advisories issued in Utah ahead of Valentine's Day snowstorm

SALT LAKE CITY — Another winter storm is giving fans of snow in Utah something to love this Valentine's Day.

The National Weather Service on Monday issued a series of winter weather advisories and winter storm watches for most of central and southern Utah. The weather service's Salt Lake City office originally issued a winter storm watch for central and southern Utah but adjusted it to a winter weather advisory Monday afternoon, though most of the snow projections remain the same.

The alerts state that up to 1 foot or more of heavy snow is possible in the mountains across both regions Tuesday, while the valleys may also receive several inches. The alerts take effect Tuesday morning and remain in place through Wednesday afternoon.

Utah's northern half is not included in the alerts; however, the weather service still forecast snow to fall in the region's mountains and valleys between Tuesday and Wednesday. Meteorologists add there's an 80% chance that the system will also clear out the inversion and improve the air quality along the Wasatch Front.

Storm timing

Central and southern Utah will get the "brunt" of the incoming storm as a result of a pair of low-pressure systems currently in the West, says KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson. One system is located in the southwest of Utah while another is in the Pacific Northwest; as the latter storm moves southeast into Utah, it helped push the other system north into parts of southeast Utah on Monday afternoon.

That system is forecast to be pushed out of the state by the end of the day as the low pressure from the Pacific Northwest arrives, Johnson explains. Snow showers are forecast for Wasatch Mountains early Tuesday, but most of the storm is expected to impact areas in central and southern Utah, especially by midday Tuesday.

"The core of it moves into Nevada; the best dynamics, southern and central Utah," Johnson said. "(We're) still expecting snow showers in northern Utah, but a lot of the snow will be in southern Utah and the southeast corner."

The storm is expected to linger in some areas Wednesday before it begins to clear out.

Snow totals

The winter weather advisories and storm watches outline how much snow is expected in the central and southern areas over the next few days.

• 6 to 14 inches of snow are possible in the La Sal and Abajo Mountains in southeast Utah.
• 6 to 12 inches are also expected in the central and southern mountains, including areas like Alton, Brian Head, Cove Fort, Fish Lake and Joes Valley.
• 4 to 10 inches are possible in areas of southeast Utah, including Blanding, Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park. Even areas closer to Lake Powell may receive 1 to 4 inches of snow.
• 2 to 6 inches are forecast for Capitol Reef National Park, while 3 to 5 inches may fall within Zion National Park.
• 1 to 5 inches are forecast for lower-elevation areas in central and southwest Utah, including Beaver, Cedar City, Fillmore, Kanab and Scipio. Up to a half-foot is possible in higher-elevation terrain.

The National Weather Service's probabilistic snowfall forecast model, updated Monday afternoon, notes that the storm has the potential to deliver 4 to 7 inches of snow in the Wasatch Mountains. Most valleys across the Wasatch Front through the Cache Valley have the potential to receive anywhere from a trace of snow to 2 inches of snow, while higher totals are possible near Brigham City.

There is a probability for lower or higher snow totals among those forecasts, according to the weather service.

Storm impact

The weather service advisories also state that wind gusts of 30 to 45 mph are possible, which may result in blowing snow at times. This could reduce visibility and make travel "very difficult" in the valleys and mountain passes across central and southern Utah.

"Slow down and use caution while traveling," the agency wrote in the storm watch notifications.

Road conditions

The Utah Department of Transportation also issued a road weather alert for Tuesday through the first half of Wednesday. It advises that there will be some snow on the roads in northern Utah's mountains and valleys Tuesday morning, including the Wasatch Front.

"The main road impacts will precede the Tuesday morning commute so travel concerns will be reduced," the agency wrote.

But a band of "moderate to heavy snow" is expected to impact central and southern Utah as the day progresses, which could result in more road impacts. UDOT says drivers should use high caution, especially by Beaver, Cedar City and high-elevation areas in central and southern Utah. The Utah roads most likely to be impacted by the storm are:

• I-15: Utah-Idaho border to Black Ridge near the Iron-Washington county border
• I-70: Cove Fort to the San Rafael Swell
• I-80: Grantsville to Utah-Wyoming border
• I-84: Entire route
• U.S. 6: Utah-Nevada border to Price Canyon
• U.S. 40: Heber to Duchesne
• U.S. 89: Entire route
• U.S. 191: Utah-Wyoming border to Vernal; La Sal junction to Utah-Arizona border
• U.S. 491: Entire route
• S.R. 12
• S.R. 14
• S.R. 20
• S.R. 143
• Big Cottonwood Canyon
• Little Cottonwood Canyon

Wind chill warning

A wind chill warning was also issued for the Cache Valley in northern Utah, as well as Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks in southern Utah. The alert takes effect from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, as temperatures may feel as cold as 35 degrees below zero in the Bryce Canyon area and 15 degrees below zero in northern Utah, according to the weather service.

Inversion

There is also a good chance that the storms will clear the air at least along the Wasatch Front, as well. The Utah Division of Air Quality lists Cache, Duchesne, Salt Lake and Uintah counties as having air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups Monday, or "orange." Its forecast still has some locations in orange on Tuesday, but it has the Wasatch Front counties in green Tuesday and Wednesday.

However, the inversion haze is expected to begin to build back up heading into the weekend, Johnson said. It means there might be poor air quality in the Salt Lake City area during the NBA All-Star Weekend.

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

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