SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Happy Monday, Utah! Another blast of January-like temperatures and snowfall for the state with active Winter Storm Warnings from north to south.
Bottom Line?! Active pattern continues early this week with winter driving conditions expected off and on along I-15 through Tuesday afternoon.
Snow showers are increasing this morning in Central Utah and will continue south into the afternoon with travel impacts surging south along I-15 into Washington County. As colder air moves in from the north into the afternoon, scattered snow showers are expected to continue along the Wasatch Front with increasing coverage this evening into Tuesday.
The snowfall forecast continues to call for snowfall totals through Tuesday evening of 5-10 inches in the northern valleys with 8-14 inches along the benches. Areas south and east of the Great Salt Lake are expected to see more significant accumulations Monday night through Tuesday with lake-enhanced precipitation.
The Salt Lake, Tooele, and Utah Valleys could see snowfall amounts of 6-12 inches with the bench areas seeing up to 18 inches of snowfall. Northern mountains will see feet of snowfall with 2-3 feet for most areas, the Upper Cottonwoods could see 4-5 feet of new snow! Strong winds along the ridge tops will exacerbate avalanche conditions over the higher terrain through Tuesday as well.
Winter alerts are in place for the central and southern portion of the state as well with the Central Mountains seeing increasing moisture this morning that will continue through Tuesday afternoon. The southern mountains will see moisture around midday and continue through late Monday evening. The forecast remains similar for southern Utah with 5-10 inches expected in the southwest valleys, except lower Washington County, and 1-2 feet of snow for the mountain areas. In central Utah, areas near I-15 could see more significant accumulations with 6-12 plus inches possible.
On top of the winter alerts, High Warnings are in effect from 9 a.m. this morning through 9 p.m. Monday for the south-central and southeastern portion of Utah. Winds of 35-45 mph are forecast with wind gusts to 65 mph. Wind gusts could blow around loose debris and cause power outages. Travel will be difficult for high-profile vehicles as well. Winds will be strongest Monday afternoon and taper off late Monday evening.
The storm will bring another blast of well-below-normal temperatures early in the week with daytime highs falling 20-30 degrees below normal. As the trough slides east into Wednesday, a cold northwest flow will remain in place. Moisture within the flow will keep a chance of showers for the mountain areas through Wednesday, possibly Thursday. Temperatures will be slow to rebound as well with daytime highs finally back in the 50s by the weekend.
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