- The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories for Utah's valleys.
- Two to 7 inches of snow expected in the valley communities between late Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.
- Many communities have recorded little to no snow so far this season.
SALT LAKE CITY — Winter is finally arriving in Utah's valleys, but that could make for a tricky commute Wednesday morning.
The National Weather Service on Tuesday expanded its winter storm warning to additional parts of northern and southwest Utah, including Beaver, Cedar City and Logan, where 3 to 7 inches of snow is possible between late Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. That's on top of any snow that falls earlier Tuesday, as the latest storm system finally dropped temperatures cold enough for valley snow.
Federal forecasters also issued a winter weather advisory covering other parts of northern Utah, including Brigham City, as well as the Wasatch Front and Tooele Valley, extending into central Utah. The alert, which takes effect early Wednesday, advises that 2 to 4 inches of snow are possible along the valley floors, and higher amounts close to 6 inches are possible along valley benches.
"Winter driving conditions are expected, particularly during the Wednesday morning commute, when snow rates will be the heaviest," the agency wrote, advising drivers to slow down and use caution while traveling.
While most of the snow will remain in the mountains, the valley snow will come from a "potent" cold front passing through the state in the morning, said KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson. It has the potential to deliver widespread snow during the normal peak commute hours. Scattered snow showers are possible through Wednesday afternoon and even into the evening for the state's mountains.
UTAH COLD FRONT: A cold front is set to move in tomorrow morning (FEB 18) between 5-11AM. Scattered snow showers will linger into the early afternoon with 1-4" possible in the valleys, 2-6" on the benches and 6-12" along the Wasatch Back. An additional 1-2 FT in the mountains. pic.twitter.com/Ym5rE2EtKk
— Matthew Johnson (@KSL_Matt) February 17, 2026
It's a rare advisory for Utah's lower elevations this winter, as this year hasn't produced much snow. Salt Lake City entered this week with just 0.1 inches of snowfall collected this season, which is over a foot below the record low of 14.3 inches set during the 1933-1934 season.
A similar story has played out across the state.
One of the weather service's sites in Logan has received only 5.1 inches of snow this year, a total that could double by the end of Wednesday. Provo has only collected 0.5 inches of snow, a few feet below its normal by now. Panguitch received 4.5 inches of snow from a storm that slammed southern Utah on Nov. 30, but only 0.1 inches outside that before this week, per weather service data.
"We just haven't been getting cores of storms (this season). They've been dodging us, but this one is going to move through," Johnson said.
The projected snow follows strong winds recorded ahead of the storm. Wind gusts of 55 to 65 mph were reported all over Utah's western half on Monday, and gusts even peaked at 89 mph near the marina at Great Salt Lake State Park. Several residents submitted photos of downed trees in their yards, while the Utah Department of Transportation briefly restricted high-profile vehicles from traveling on I-80 in Tooele County.
Some additional strong gusts are likely again on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the next major band of snow, Johnson said. He adds that more snow is expected to impact Utah's northern half by Thursday night, lingering into Friday morning.
Full seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online at the KSL Weather Center.
