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- Utah's mountains could receive up to a foot of snow by Wednesday.
- Wind advisories predict gusts up to 55 mph, impacting central and southern Utah before the next storm.
- Valleys may see snow on Tuesday, with central Utah communities likely to see the most snow.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's snowpack is slated to get another boost to start the week as it nears its normal peak.
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for the mountains across northern and central Utah, which could receive up to 1 foot of snow or more between Monday night and Wednesday afternoon.
Some valley snow is also possible, likely impacting communities across central Utah the most.
Storm timing
Scattered showers, including some possible thunderstorms, are forecast for Utah's northern half Monday morning and afternoon, as the next wave of moisture arrives from the Pacific Northwest coast, according to KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson.
Those small showers are joined by breezy conditions ahead of an arriving cold front. The National Weather Service issued a series of wind advisories across most of central and southern Utah, where wind gusts up to 50-55 mph are forecast through most of Monday afternoon and evening.
Storm activity will pick up Monday evening as the cold front reaches the Wasatch Front, bringing heavier moisture across Utah's northern half. Johnson said showers will linger into Tuesday morning, likely transitioning into snow with the colder air behind the cold front.
More scattered showers are forecast through the rest of Tuesday, stretching into central and southern Utah. He adds that a pair of low-pressure systems north and south of Utah could produce even more scattered showers across the state on Wednesday, but it also may just remain cloudy for most areas as the moisture clears out.
Storm accumulations
The weather service advisory goes into effect at 6 p.m. on Monday and lasts through 6 p.m. on Wednesday. It states that 6 to 12 inches of snow is expected across the Wasatch, Western Uinta, Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs and central mountains, while "locally higher" amounts of up to 20 inches are possible in the upper Cottonwood Canyons and mountains near Ogden.
Utah's snowpack collection normally peaks in early April. The statewide total may have already peaked, but it remains 79% of the median seasonal average after reaching as high as 88% earlier this month, per Natural Resources Conservation Service data.
Johnson said the Wasatch Back could receive 2 to 6 inches of snow, while central Utah valleys and some bench areas along the Wasatch Front could also end up with a few inches of snow. A trace to an inch or two is possible along the Wasatch Front and northern Utah valleys, but he explained it could also melt quickly because of how warm the ground has gotten to start spring.
"We'll likely see most of that accumulation on the grass and elevated surfaces, but we can't rule out some road accumulation as well," he said.
KSL Weather models indicate the storm has the potential to deliver 0.5 to 1 inches of precipitation across the Wasatch Front and northern Utah by Wednesday, mostly falling as rain in the valleys. Higher accumulations are possible along the southern Wasatch Front and in central Utah.
A cooler week ahead
This week also won't be quite as warm as last week's late-spring temperatures across the state. High temperatures are forecast to drop from the 60s along the Wasatch Front on Monday to the mid-to-upper 40s on Tuesday and Wednesday before returning to the mid-to-upper 50s by the end of the workweek.
Highs in southern Utah will fall into the upper 50s and lower 60s near St. George between Tuesday and Thursday. The weather service's Grand Junction, Colorado, office issued a freeze watch for southeast Utah, as overnight temperatures could fall into the upper 20s between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Full seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online, at the KSL Weather Center.
