SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Hey there, Utah! Hopefully, you are having a terrific Tuesday! We’re getting a little break this afternoon, but our next system will bring more snow by tonight through Wednesday across Utah!

After some very active weather during the overnight and early morning, things have calmed considerably in our valleys where we’ll even see some sunshine through the middle of the day.

In the high country, especially in northern Utah isolated snow showers will continue. Even though our skies overall will be calmer for a brief stretch, it will still be windy today with daytime highs that range roughly 3-5 degrees cooler than yesterday.

By the second half of this afternoon into tonight, the weather will be ramping right back up as our next storm system is set to move in. A cold front will approach tonight, and by the overnight hours, widespread wet weather is likely across the state as the front moves in. With colder air arriving as well, there will even be a chance we could see rain become a wintry mix or even straight snow in places like lower Washington County.

While straight snow is a possibility in St. George tomorrow, we’re not expecting anything over a couple of inches if we do see snow. The Wednesday morning commute has the potential to be slippery across the state, including all of the I-15 and I-70 corridors so plan ahead just in case. 

Even as the cold front moves away to the east by the second half of tomorrow, we’ll get wrap-around moisture behind the front which will result in scattered snow showers continuing throughout the daytime hours. As the low pressure driving the cold front moves to the southeast it will take the moisture with it. Wet weather will begin to clear northern Utah first by tomorrow evening, then will clear southern Utah completely by Thursday morning. 

With more snow expected, we’re expecting more accumulations. Mountains will see another healthy dose of snow with the northern mountains likely to receive an additional 6-12″ with isolated amounts up to 18″. 8-16″ is expected for the central mountains while the southern mountains could receive another 1-2 feet.

Mountain valleys, including the Wasatch Back, will likely pick up another 4-10″, benches could see 3-8″, and southern valleys could receive between 5-10″. Northern and central valleys won’t do as well as the southern valleys, but 1-4″ will be possible in the northern valleys while 2-6″ will be possible in the central valleys. Castle Country will likely see 2-5″ while the Uinta Basin could see 1-4″. In southeastern Utah, 4-8″ will be possible around San Juan County. 

Several winter alerts remain in effect for the mountains due to this series of storms. The Winter Storm Warnings for the Wasatch Mountains and the Wasatch Back remain in effect through 5 p.m. Wednesday and represent the next couple of storms moving in. 8-16″ of additional snow is expected in the mountains to go along with the healthy totals we picked up last night and this morning. The Wasatch Back is likely to pick up an additional 5-10″ of snow. Strong winds are also expected during the duration of the warnings. During this same time frame, a winter weather advisory is in effect for the Western Uintas where an additional 6-12″ is expected. 

We also have Winter Storm Warnings for much of the central and southern Utah mountains. These warnings will be in effect through 5 a.m. Thursday. Heavy snow is expected with totals in the central mountains looking to add 8-24″ with the higher totals likely to be found in the southern mountains, especially around Brian Head. Strong winds of gusts up to 65 mph are also expected which could result in times of blowing/drifting snow and reduced visibilities. We also now have winter storm warnings for south-central Utah, southwestern Utah, and Bryce Canyon Country. 5-10″ is likely in southwestern and southcentral Utah while 6-12″ is expected in Bryce Canyon Country. 

This evening, the National Weather Service has extended the area of the Winter Storm Warning for parts of southern Utah. The new areas included in this expansion include Beaver, Cedar City, Milford, Springdale, Escalante, Kanab, and Bryce Canyon City. This new Warning is set to begin at 8 p.m. this evening and will remain in place until 5 a.m. Thursday. Heavy snow is expected with accumulations of 5-10″ in southwest Utah and 6-12″ in Bryce Cayon, Zion National park, and the Grand Staircase. Some areas, such as Orderville and Glendale could see over 16″. Strong winds in the area will reduce visibility due to blowing snow so winter driving conditions will be in place for all roads in the area.

A winter storm watch will go into effect this evening in southeastern Utah for most of San Juan County and will continue through tomorrow. Lower elevations within the Watch will likely see 4-8″ while the La Sal and Abajo Mountains could receive 10-20″.

By Thursday we’ll see calmer weather take hold resulting in partly cloudy skies and below-average temperatures across the state. In southern Utah we’re expecting to end the workweek with dry skies and moderating temperatures, however, in northern Utah, a quick-moving system will bring a return chance for some snow on Friday. Saturday will be another calm day statewide ahead of what could be more active weather by the end of the weekend into could be early next week, especially in northern Utah.