SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The National Weather Service has issued several Winter Storm Warnings for Utah that cover a majority of the state.

These Warnings will mostly begin late Thursday evening and end early Sunday morning. The upcoming storm is a result of an atmospheric river that will be bringing a great deal of rain through California but will have enough leftover to give to Utah. 

The two Warnings going into effect tonight are both for the Wasatch Mountains.

Starting in the mountains north of I-80, the Warning begins at 11 p.m. tonight and will remain in effect until 5 a.m. on Saturday. During this time, snow accumulations are expected to be in the 9-18″ range, and wind gusts could top 65 mph.

For the mountains south of I-80, including the Western Uinta Mountains, the Warning begins at the same time but is to remain in place until 5 p.m. on Saturday. Snowfall could be in the 12-22″ range, with some areas receiving more. Wind gusts will also be an issue for this area and could be stronger than 70 mph. The snow is expected to be mostly in the mountains as warmer temperatures in the valley will keep the moisture to rain. 

The Eastern Uinta Mountains have a Winter Storm Warning beginning at 5 a.m. on Friday that will remain in effect until 5 a.m. on Saturday. During this 24-hour stretch, snow totals could reach up to a foot, and wind gusts could exceed 55 mph. 

Also in the eastern portion of the state, the Abajo Mountains and surrounding areas have a Warning issued to begin at 11 a.m. on Friday lasting until 8 p.m. on Saturday. There will be a lot of moisture coming through this region Friday night and all day Saturday and the snow could also reach over a foot. High winds will also be an issue. Much like the northern portion of the state, where it’s not cold enough to snow, you can expect rain coming down. 

The remaining locations to receive Winter Storm Warnings are the central and southern mountains, both areas will have their Warnings beginning at 11 a.m. on Friday and lasting until 6 a.m. on Sunday. Both locations can expect 10-20″ of snow during this period with some local locations receiving over two feet of snow. Winds will be blowing hard just like the entire state and gusts could reach over 60 mph. 

For the entire state, it will be important to be careful with all traveling as we go into the weekend. Even places that aren’t seeing snow will need to be aware that we could see large amounts of water and possible flooding in low-lying areas. This storm has a lot of water with it, and it could deliver a good portion of it to Utah. 

To get the most up-to-date and accurate information on this, and any other storms, keep it right here and follow us on ABC4 News. We are Good4Utah!