Warnings, advisories issued in Utah's mountains; heaviest valley snow of this winter possible

SALT LAKE CITY — A series of winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories have been issued for Utah's mountains ahead of a system that could produce 1 to 2 feet of additional snow or more by the middle of the week.

There's also a growing probability that valley communities will receive their highest snow totals of the season this week.

"The storm door opens (this) week. It's going to be very unsettled starting Monday night," said KSL meteorologist Kristen Van Dyke.

An active pattern continues this week

Last week's storm ultimately delivered over a foot of snow across the Cottonwood canyons, and the incoming system is even larger. It's moving into Utah from the Pacific Coast, providing moisture all over the West as it moves east, but it will be warm and breezy across Utah first.

The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for most of western and southern Utah, where gusts of 50 mph are forecast from Monday morning through early Tuesday.

A mixture of valley rain and mountain snow will arrive by Monday night, lingering into Tuesday, Van Dyke said.

A rain-snow mix or rain transitioning to snow in the valleys is possible as a cold front sweeps through the state. Most of it will be snow by Tuesday night as temperatures cool, which will continue into Wednesday morning across most of Utah.

"That's going to bring the potential for a snowy commute that we have not really dealt with this winter season," she said.

Clearer conditions are possible later in the day, but a chance of a flurry or two are possible on Thursday and Friday, especially across Utah's northern half.

Snow accumulations

The National Weather Service's warnings and advisories project:

• 1 to 2 feet of snow across the Wasatch and Western Uinta Mountains, as well as the Wasatch Back, by early Thursday. Accumulations could reach closer to 3 feet in the upper Cottonwood canyons and in the Bear River range.
• 8 to 18 inches of snow in the southern mountains. Accumulations of 2 to 2 ½ feet are possible near Brian Head and the Tushar range by Wednesday night.
• 8 to 12 inches of snow is possible in the central mountains by early Thursday, with higher totals expected within the Wasatch Plateau and Manti Skyline.
• 6 to 12 inches of snow or more is possible in the Eastern Uinta, La Sal and Abajo Mountains.

Wind gusts up to 55 to 65 mph could create blowing snow and "hazardous conditions" for people traveling through mountain passes, the alerts state. Traction laws are likely to be enforced across several mountain routes as the storm arrives.

Avalanche risk is expected to "rapidly increase" throughout the week, according to the Utah Avalanche Center.

While not included in the initial warnings or advisories ahead of the system, valley communities could receive multiple inches of snow, as well. Approximately 1 to 5 inches of snow is projected to fall across most communities from Logan to Cedar City by early Thursday, with the potential for higher totals if the right variables align, according to the National Weather Service.

Salt Lake City, which has still only recorded 0.1 inches of snow this winter in what could be its least-snowiest year on record, is expected to receive the lower end of the snow forecast because of shadowing effects from the system. However, the weather service notes that, as of Monday, there's still a 50% chance it could end up with at least 4 inches of snow by Thursday.

Between rain and snow, the storm has the potential to deliver 0.1 to 1 inch of precipitation or more to communities all over the state by early Thursday, the agency adds. That's because any leftovers reach the state later in the week.

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

Related topics