SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Happy Thursday, Utah! It’s a soggy start to our Thursday as a strong cold front swept through Northern Utah bringing colder air and wet weather!
The bottom line? A strong cold front pushed into the state bringing valley rain and mountain snow today.
Valley rain and mountain snow are expected with this system, with moisture becoming more showery this afternoon. Temperatures drastically dropped so our daytime highs in northern Utah will cool by about 15-20 degrees while southern Utah sees a less dramatic drop but will cool today. This will result in highs in northern Utah dropping to the 30s and 40s while down south, highs will drop to the 50s and 60s with only a few places like St. George seeing low 70s. Snow levels will fall with colder air filtering in, and in northern Utah, that could result in a quicker dip in snow levels dipping to the benches, where a mix of rain and snow can be expected.
Higher elevations are expected to see healthy snow accumulations, especially in northern Utah. At this point mountains in northern and central Utah could receive 3-10 inches of snow with the Cottonwoods and high Uinta’s likely picking up between 6-12 inches.
As a result, a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the Wasatch Mountains and Western Uinta Mountains, including Mantua, Logan Summit, Alta, Brighton, Mirror Lake Highway, and Moon Lake. The advisory lasts through 4 p.m. Thursday. Winter driving conditions are expected, with the trickiest travel expected for the Cottonwood Canyons and high-elevation routes such as Monte Cristo and Mirror Lake Highway.
Mountain valleys could also receive a few inches of snow as colder air filters in quickly and snow levels dip. The snow levels could get as low as 5,000 feet and that would bring a wintry mix of rain and snow to some bench locations and result in minor accumulations.
Our valleys in Northern Utah will likely just see rain Thursday morning, with moisture becoming more showery by the afternoon. By the time snow levels hit the valley floor, moisture is likely to have dwindled, so valley-floor accumulations are possible but not likely. Valleys are expected to see straight rain with the potential of a trace of snow if snow levels drop lower and faster than anticipated.
Moisture will begin to dwindle as we move into tomorrow night. While the moisture will be exiting, the core of the really cold air will be moving in. Thursday night will likely be the coldest of the season so far. Overnight lows will drop into the 20s and 30s for most with only a few spots in southernmost Utah dropping into the 40s. From Eastern Box Elder County down through the Wasatch Front, including Tooele & Rush Valleys, there’s a Freeze Watch in place tomorrow night with lows expected to fall into the mid to upper 20s. Make sure you’re prepared for the cold weather!
If the system for the end of the workweek isn’t enough, it’s becoming increasingly likely we’ll see another front arrive this weekend. Instead of moisture, the main story with this front looks to be the temperatures as we’ll likely see temperatures even colder compared to what we get to close the workweek!
The weekend will be chilly with mostly dry skies taking hold by Sunday. Temperatures will slowly moderate into early next with calm skies sticking around. That means for Halloween the weather won’t be scary, but it will be cool.
With Utah’s 4Warn Forecast both on-air and online you can stay on top of all the weather changes the Beehive State has to offer! We are Good4Utah!
