Incoming storm could produce valley snow, strong mountain totals in Utah

Utah’s northern valleys could receive their first snow of the season from a storm that may disrupt post-Thanksgiving travel this weekend.

However, it’ll provide more of a punch for the region’s mountains, potentially delivering up to a foot of snow in some areas, which would help out resorts that have had to delay their openings because of low snow totals so far this season.

“This system is mainly targeting northern Utah. We’ll get a little bit of it in our central and southern mountains,” said KSL meteorologist Kristen Van Dyke.

Storm timing

Areas north of Utah have received the brunt of stormy activity this week. The National Weather Service issued a series of winter storm warnings and weather advisories, which stretch from the Northern Rockies through the northern Midwest. Some of that is tied to a low-pressure system moving through Idaho on Friday, which will affect Utah this weekend.

Some light snow is possible in the northern Wasatch and the Uinta mountains Friday night and Saturday morning as that pattern moves east, Van Dyke said. A cold front will also drop high temperatures from the mid-50s across the Wasatch Front on Friday to the mid-40s on Saturday, before moisture arrives in northern Utah early Sunday.

“Snow starts to come in ... from the (Utah-Idaho) border down to the Wasatch Front, snow coming down,” she said. “It continues (in the) late morning, so driving on Sunday morning could be a little tricky. ... It could be sticking to the roads at this point.”

The system is forecast to reach the central mountains by late morning Sunday, and the southern mountains in the afternoon, but it won’t be as strong in those regions, she added. It’s expected to clear out of the state by late Sunday or early Monday.

Potential accumulations

Most mountains across Utah’s northern half are forecast to receive 4 to 8 inches of snow, but the top of the Cottonwood canyons could receive up to a foot of snow by the time the system clears out, according to KSL Weather models. The National Weather Service lists places like Alta as having a 36% chance of receiving a foot of snow, while Brighton Resort has about a 20% probability, as of Friday.

Central and southern mountain locations may end up with 1 to 4 inches of snow. An inch or two of snow is projected for the Wasatch Front and northern Utah’s benches, and at least a dusting of snow is possible at the valley floors.

Salt Lake City has a 39% probability of receiving at least 0.1 inches of snow, which would be its first measurable snow of the season, per the weather service. Ogden and Logan have higher probabilities. They may end up with closer to an inch of snow.

Regardless of snow, the weather service projects that the storm could produce 0.2 to 0.5 inches of precipitation across the Wasatch Front and northern Utah. Lower totals are projected across central and southern Utah, where some communities may not receive any moisture.

More to come?

The forecast is good news for Utah’s 15 resorts. Solitude Mountain Resort opened on Thursday, joining Brian Head Resort in southern Utah, but Brighton Resort announced it plans to open on Tuesday now. Many other resorts have pushed their openings to December or are waiting on snow before announcing their opening dates.

And more snow could be on the way. While Monday will likely be dry, Van Dyke said models indicate that more moisture is possible across the state on Tuesday and Wednesday. High temperatures are forecast to remain in the 40s across the Wasatch Front and northern Utah next week, as well.

“It’s definitely going to feel more like the holidays,” she said.

Full seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online, at the KSL Weather Center.