BRIAN HEAD RESORT, Utah (ABC4) — Winter is once again giving Utah a taste of what’s to come with snowfall across the Beehive State. The winter feel in the middle of fall provided beautiful views of the two seasons meeting.
October is off to a chilly start as a cold front from the Pacific Northwest moved into the Beehive State. The front brought with it winds and precipitation. For the valleys, that precipitation was mainly rain, however, in the higher elevations, it was snow.
Brian Head Resort, which has a base elevation of 9,600 feet, celebrated its first blanket of snow of the year on Sunday, Oct. 1. Mountain Operations at the resort reported it received one to two inches of snow along its slopes.
The resort shared video and pictures of the now, which made for an absolutely incredible sight. Fiery shades of yellow and orange from the changing fall leaves stood out against the cool white of the freshly fallen snow. And symbols of winter: The tips of evergreen trees frosted by the winter weather.
Employees with the resort could hardly contain their excitement. While operation crews are busy with winter preparations and getting snow guns ready for the upcoming ski season, one employee hit the slopes to test the snow. Brian Head Resort said that the employee “proved any turns are good turns.”
Meanwhile, Snowbird shared a timelapse of its winter snowstake. Overnight, the snow stake measured six inches of snow gathering overnight. Snow-capped mountains at the Big Cottonwood Canyon faded away to the fall colors at the ski resort’s lower elevations.
At Brighton Ski Resort, not too far away, questions were asked of whether it’s fall or winter. The resort shared several videos of massive snowflakes falling on the mountain. One breathtaking video gave a stunning look at low whispy clouds over a mountainside covered in light snow and fall colors.
The October snow paired with the snow that fell on northern Utah ski resorts last month may feel like a sign of a back-to-back heavy winter but don’t be so sure.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s winter outlook predicts northern Utah may have higher-than-average temperatures. Meanwhile, Utah’s precipitation is harder to predict with NOAA saying the Beehive State could see equal chances above, lower, and average rain and snowfall.
Either way, winter recreators can be happy knowing the time to take a sick day from work and hit the slopes is just around the corner.
