SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Happy Valentine’s Day, Utah! You are loved! Mother Nature will be showing you some love with wet weather throughout the day in different parts of the state.

A passing overnight cold front has ushered in colder air and snow before daybreak, so that morning commute brought some wintry travel conditions, and we will see that again for the evening commute. This storm delivers scattered showers across the state from today through the first half of Wednesday for most of the state.

Daytime highs drop 10 degrees in most spots compared to yesterday and the strong northerly winds will make it feel even colder. Wicked wind chills return and as a result, wind Chill Warnings have been issued for Cache Valley, Bryce Canyon, and the Zion National Park area. The warning will go into effect at 10 pm and remain in place until 10 am Wednesday morning. Temperatures in Cache Valley could reach -15 degrees with the wind chill and Zion could reach 0, very low for that area. In Bryce Canyon temperatures could feel more like -35 degrees and it is advised to avoid outdoor activities during the warning.

Remember that very cold temperatures can cause frostbite on exposed skin in a short period of time. 

When it comes to snow, this storm focuses most of its energy on the southern two-thirds of the state. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for most of southern Utah, and part of central Utah up 1-15. The Advisory holds until 5 pm Wednesday evening with valleys under advisory looking to accumulate 2 to 5″ of snow while the mountain areas could see between half a foot to a foot of fresh snow.

Winds will also play a factor, resulting in blowing snow, especially on mountain routes. While it doesn’t look like northern Utah will do quite as well, there will be moisture potential up north as well. Even if northern Utah doesn’t get as much moisture compared to areas down south, the strong winds will likely clear out our inversions leading to better air quality so there are positives to take all around, and of course, we’ll take any moisture where we can get it. In all aspects, locally higher and lower amounts will be possible, particularly in northern Utah where there’s a bit more uncertainty with how the moisture will play out.

In St. George, we’re expecting to see rain and even a wintry mix, but if the cold air and the moisture match up, there will at least be a chance we could see some snow late Tuesday into early Wednesday with minor accumulations being possible in lower Washington County. This is not a guarantee, but it definitely can’t be ruled out.

By Wednesday afternoon this storm will begin to pull away and we’ll get calmer conditions to end the workweek. Wednesday and Thursday will be quite chilly with highs and lows well below our seasonal averages, but temperatures will gradually moderate for the second half of the workweek into the weekend with mostly dry skies. At this point, it looks like skies will stay fairly calm through Saturday, but from Sunday into early next week there may be another storm that moves in. We’ll be tracking that and keep you informed as that potential storm evolves.

Bottom Line? Mother Nature gifts us winds to clean the air, widespread moisture potential, and a chill vibe following the storm.

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