'Grazing' storm offers snow, clearer air in northern Utah this weekend

A layer of inversion keeps the skies grey over Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 26. A small system could produce a brushing of snow in the area Saturday night into Sunday.

A layer of inversion keeps the skies grey over Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 26. A small system could produce a brushing of snow in the area Saturday night into Sunday. (Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)


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SALT LAKE CITY — A "grazing" storm isn't expected to produce a lot of snow in Utah this weekend but it likely will "help mix out valley inversions," the National Weather Service reports.

The storm system is expected to pass through parts of the Wasatch Front and northern Utah late Saturday night into early Sunday morning, said KSL meteorologist Kristin Van Dyke. She said the storm will primarily impact areas north of the state.

"There's a chance we'll see a little dusting of snow for the Wasatch Front," she said.

The weather service projects the storm will likely produce less than an inch of snow in the Salt Lake City, Provo and Tooele areas, while delivering 1 to 2 inches in Ogden and Park City, and 2 to 3 inches in the Logan area. Utah is expected to avoid the winter storm warnings and wintry weather advisories currently issued for parts of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

The system also provides a 70% chance that it will clear out some of the northern Utah valley inversions, "bringing improved air quality," the weather service adds. Van Dyke points out that the Cache Valley is where most of the poorer air quality has been within Utah Friday.

The Utah Division of Air Quality currently lists the Wasatch Front and northern Utah as having moderate air quality conditions through Sunday.

Some additional snow could fall in Utah's mountains on Monday, Van Dyke said. However, the heavier stuff is expected Tuesday and Wednesday as a northwest flow pushes a big storm toward Utah. A preliminary weather service model shows that valleys may receive several inches, while the mountains may receive multiple feet of snow by Thursday morning — depending on when rain transitions over to snow.

"(There) is some very unsettled weather coming next week," she said.

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

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Carter Williams, KSLCarter Williams
Carter Williams is a reporter for KSL. He covers Salt Lake City, statewide transportation issues, outdoors, the environment and weather. He is a graduate of Southern Utah University.
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