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SALT LAKE CITY — People waking up across the Wasatch Front Wednesday were greeted with cold temperatures, cloudy skies and rain.
"A cold front moving into the Wasatch Front will drop temperatures by 20 degrees and bring rain showers to the northern half of the state today and tomorrow," said KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson. "Rainfall from Wednesday and Thursday combined will bring rain totals to ¼- to a ½-inch. Snow totals in the mountains (of) 2 to 8 inches generally, with 12 inches possible in the upper Cottonwoods."
The National Weather Service has also issued a winter weather advisory for the Wasatch Front from 9 a.m. Wednesday to 12 p.m. on Thursday.
❄ 10/11-Here is an updated snowfall forecast for the storm. Most locations will see 2" to 8" of snow with locally higher amounts possible, especially for the high Uintas and Upper Cottonwoods. There is potential of lake effect snow overnight for the Upper Cottonwoods. #utwxpic.twitter.com/C2B8E4Z2wn
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) October 11, 2023
"Winter driving conditions are expected, especially for the Cottonwood Canyons and across high-elevation seasonal routes such as Monte Cristo and the Mirror Lake Highway," said the advisory.
Friday will see slightly warmer temperatures with a high of around 61 degrees before jumping into the high 60s and low 70s through the weekend with the clouds clearing up.
"We're finally getting one of those years where we actually get fall," Johnson said.
Weekend travel
Ahead of Saturday's annular eclipse, the Utah Department of Transportation said it is expecting an influx of vehicle traffic throughout central and southern Utah highways.
As one of the few cities across the nation in the direct path of the eclipse, at least 300,000 visitors are expected to travel to Richfield and central Utah to see the eclipse reach maximum obscurity at 10:28 a.m. on Saturday.
"The heaviest traffic is expected in the Richfield and Mexican Hat areas," said UDOT spokesman John Gleason. "Drivers should expect delays on several central Utah routes, including I-15, I-70, US-89 and SR 191. Heavy traffic delays are expected from Friday, Oct. 13, through Sunday, Oct. 15."
What to know about Saturday's annular solar eclipse
An annular solar eclipse is happening Saturday, and Utah is lucky to be in its direct path. A WSU professor describes what it is, how long it will last and the best ways to watch it.Additionally, the University of Utah, Southern Utah University and 23 school districts throughout the state will be on fall break over the weekend, another factor playing into the expectation of increased traffic.
"UDOT encourages eclipse watchers to stay an extra day if possible to avoid what traffic engineers expect to be several hours of delays directly after the eclipse," Gleason said. "To keep everyone safe, UDOT strongly urges drivers not to park on the shoulder or in the road to watch the eclipse. Drivers should also pay attention and watch for pedestrians who will be out viewing the eclipse. In addition, they should plan ahead and make sure to have enough food, water and fuel."
