SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Happy weekend, Utah! Our next storm system is targeting Utah and increasing cloud cover as it continues to move towards us.

This system ushers in the chance of wet weather potential to the northern two-thirds of the state by the afternoon. While the emphasis for wet weather will be northern Utah, we could see some snow showers in the high country south of I-70. Before the wet weather arrives, we will see noticeably gusty SW winds on the western side of the state. This is due to a southerly flow leading up to the system, and wind gusts will ramp up in parts of the Southwest desert. A wind advisory goes into effect at noon today for portions of Millard, Juab and Iron Counties at noon. Wind gusts up to 55 mph are possible through the early morning hours of Sunday. Secure loose objects now, and now gusty winds can be expected on the roads in this area.

The southwest winds will also help warm temperatures closer to seasonal averages with daytime highs reaching the low 40s along the Wasatch Front. During the afternoon, there’s a chance that instead of snow we will see a wintry mix or even rain for a period of the afternoon along the Wasatch Front. Cold air will filter into the region, so tonight, any rain will change back over to snow. Accumulating snow will impact the mountains and valleys, and as a result, a Winter Weather Advisory has been issued from 11 a.m. today through 11 a.m. Sunday. This includes the Wasatch Mountain, Wasatch Back, Cache Valley, parts of Bow Elder County, the Northern Wasatch Front, and the Utah portion of Bear Lake and Bear River Valley. Accumulating snow is expected with a period of winter travel conditions, especially overnight. Valleys see this advisory going into effect at 2 p.m. Saturday.

This storm brings the potential for healthier totals than we saw from the weak disturbance yesterday, especially for our northern Utah mountains where we could see anywhere from 10-16″. Benches can expect anywhere from 2-5″ and mountain valleys, especially the Wasatch Back, will pick up between 4-8″. In our valleys, including the Wasatch Front, we are looking at rain to start, with a transition over to snow and that means a range of totals. We could see anywhere from rain to 3″ of snow depending on the timing of the precipitation change. We even could see some light accumulations in the central mountains. While the southernmost portion of the state looks to stay mostly dry, we will see strong winds both Saturday and Sunday.

Active weather will continue in northern Utah to round out the weekend and move into next week while southernmost Utah stays mostly dry. The next winter storm moves into Utah Sunday evening and could bring accumulating snow through the overnight, meaning the Monday morning commute could be cold and slick. Temperatures remain below average and moisture potential hangs on for several days next week. An unsettled week ahead so, stay tuned! 

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