The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for parts of the Wasatch and Uinta mountains from Thursday morning through Friday evening.
The season’s first significant snowfall is on the way for northern Utah. Some areas will see more than others.
The weather service said overall accumulations in Park City are likely to be around 1 to 2 inches Friday with less in Heber. Highs will be in the 30s and 40s, with lows in the 20s.
A dramatic change is on the way. ☀🌡➡❄🌧
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) October 15, 2024
Get the scoop on timing, critical fire weather, mountain snow, and freezing temperatures below. (1/4) #utwx #wywx pic.twitter.com/KgP7iuoaum
But Meteorologist Nate Larsen said 1 to 2 feet could fall in the upper Uinta and Wasatch mountain ranges.
He expects all of the Wasatch Back to see snowflakes by Friday morning.
“It's looking like it could be down to as low as 5,500 feet … which would be some of the high bench areas along the Wasatch Front,” he said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour.”
The storm will begin as rain Thursday morning while the cold front moves into northern Utah.
Once temperatures drop and the snow starts, National Weather Service senior meteorologist Monica Traphagan said conditions could turn dangerous for anyone exposed to the elements.
“You know, multiple inches in an hour, it's going to be very treacherous conditions for those in the backcountry,” she told KPCW.
Many parts of the Uinta Mountains are already off-limits to recreationists as crews work to contain the Yellow Lake Fire in eastern Wasatch County. The snowfall and cold weather are expected to lessen the blaze.
The roads may be hazardous too, Traphagan said.
“The ground is going to be warm, but it's going to be snowing quite heavily. So those road temperatures are going to drop in a hurry,” she said. “I think it's likely to see some snow sticking to the roads in the Park City area.”
The weather service anticipates road conditions will be worse Thursday night than Friday morning, but precipitation will be a factor throughout the storm.
“You're going to see a lot of hard freeze conditions behind this front,” Traphagan said. “We're going to have some lingering precipitation probably over southern and eastern Utah with this system over the weekend.”
The winter weather will move out the beginning of next week. After that, the weather service said it could be a while before another storm returns to the Wasatch Back.
See the latest watches and warnings for your area here.
