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SALT LAKE CITY — A winter weather advisory has been issued for a large section of Utah's mountains ahead of a big storm that's prompted a series of similar advisories and warnings in other parts of the West, north of the Beehive State.
The National Weather Service issued the advisory for the Wasatch and western Uinta mountain ranges, where up to 10 inches of snow or more is possible Thursday. The agency says areas of the region with elevations of 5,000 to 6,000 feet may get snow as temperatures dip as a result of the storm, too.
A freeze watch for the Wasatch Front and Tooele valleys, as well as eastern Box Elder County was also issued, as temperatures are forecast to fall into the mid-to-upper 20s for the first time this season between Thursday night and Friday morning.
A mixture of rain and snow is also in the forecast for other parts of Utah not included in any of the weather alerts, though it likely won't produce as much precipitation.
Wintry storm arrives
All of the alerts are tied to a strong low-pressure system coming into Utah from the Pacific Northwest. It may produce some showers in northern Utah on Wednesday evening, but the brunt of the storm is expected to impact the state as the cold front moves in on Thursday.
The system is forecast to produce valley rain and mountain snow Thursday morning, which may result in a wet commute, said KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson. Showers are projected to move into central, southern and eastern Utah by the afternoon as the cold front sweeps through the state. The system is expected to clear the state by the end of the day Thursday.
Mountain snow is coming! A Pacific Northwest storm system will move through northern Utah early Thursday through Thursday afternoon, bringing 5-10" to most northern UT mountains. This will result in travel difficulties for high elevation routes. Here's our latest forecast. #utwxpic.twitter.com/QXmNsUduRi
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) October 25, 2023
It has the potential to pack a punch on Thursday, though. The weather service's winter weather advisory — in effect from midnight to 4 p.m. Thursday — states that 5 to 10 inches of snow is forecast for most of the Wasatch and western Uinta ranges, though higher amounts are possible in the upper Cottonwood canyons.
A weather service model updated Wednesday morning says there's a 50% chance Alta receives at least a foot of snow from the storm. The same model also lists a strong probability that parts of the Wasatch backcountry, including Park City, end up with at least an inch or two of snow, while there's a decent chance for some flakes to fall in the valleys, especially near Logan.
FALL STORM: Plan for a wet Thursday morning commute especially north of SLC. Some snowflakes could try and mix in for the benches! By Thursday afternoon this thing is out of here. #utwxpic.twitter.com/bpaR8sDvHA
— Matthew Johnson (@KSL_Matt) October 25, 2023
Most of the precipitation will fall as rain in the valleys, however. It's projected to provide about ⅓ to ¾ an inch of precipitation across the Wasatch Front and northern Utah valleys by Thursday afternoon, according to a KSL weather model that was also updated Wednesday morning. Parts of central and eastern Utah are more likely to end up with about ⅒ of an inch, and some parts of southern Utah end up with a few drops.
Other parts of the West and northwest Great Plains are also expected to be impacted by the storm. The National Weather Service issued a slew of winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories as the system particularly impacts Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Washington and Wyoming.
Another storm system is expected to arrive in Utah late Friday/early Saturday.
The valley's 1st freeze
While many valley areas may not end up with snow on Thursday, they may not escape the cold. High temperatures along the Wasatch Front are forecast to drop from the low- to mid-70s on Wednesday to the low-50s on Thursday. High temperatures are forecast to remain in the low- to mid-50s and upper-40s into at least the start of next week.
Low temperatures, on the other hand, are forecast to flirt with the freezing point. The weather service's freeze watch advises that overnight lows Thursday night into Friday morning are expected to drop to the mid- to upper-20s, which it says could kill crops and plants, and potentially damage any unprotected outdoor plumbing.
If it doesn't reach sub-freezing temperatures on Friday, Johnson points out there's a stronger chance it could happen on Sunday. Salt Lake City's average first freeze falls on Oct. 19 and last year's first freeze ended up on Oct. 29, so the forecast is in line with when low temperatures normally begin to slip into the freezing point, he adds.
"You've got to blow out the sprinkling system, get the RV taken care of and the boat," Johnson said. "(There's) some cold, cold air coming our way."
Federal forecasters add that Wednesday and Thursday are a good time to protect any sensitive plants from the cold and to wrap or drain outdoor water pipes to avoid any bursts.
Full seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online, at the KSL Weather Center.
