SALT-MORE – The National Weather Service has issued some winter weather forecasts ahead of another storm that could deliver more than a foot of snow in the Wasatch Mountains and northern Utah Friday night through Saturday.
It is also predicted that it will rain a few inches of snow in some of the valleys and impact areas of Central Utah.
Closures
The Department of Transportation in Utah said on Twitter shortly before 9 p.m., westerly directions 1-84 at the Utah-Idaho border were closed; UDOT’s traffic website showed that the interstate is open again from 22:00. Drivers can find updated traffic information at udottraffic.utah.gov.
State Route 210 in Big Cottonwood Canyon will close on Saturday at 12:30 for uphill traffic and at 01:00 for downhill traffic for UDOT avalanche and safety control. The roads will reopen on Saturday at 08:00.
Traction laws
Traction laws are in effect in both Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood Gorges in Salt Lake County from 7 p.m. on Friday. Traction devices such as snow tires or chains are required for all vehicles in both directions for routes 210 and 190, according to UDOT.
All vehicles drive I-80 through Parley’s Canyon must have traction devices. Eastbound drivers can stop at milestone 129 and put on chains on the right side of the road, and drivers in the west can tackle chains on milestone 146 on the right, UDOT said on Twitter.
Draw laws are also in place Sardyn Canyon in Cache County in the U.S. 91 in both directions, between milestone 2 and milestone 17. National meteorologists earlier Friday said the storm would result in a dangerous trip through higher mountain passes like Logan Canyon.
Again
Northern Utah and Wasatch Front
Heavy snow showers move until 22:00 Friday in the central and northern Wasatch Front, the national weather service said on Twitter. The cold front of the storm caused the temperature to drop in the 1920s, and while the roads remained wet, it could quickly become icy and drivers are urged to be careful, especially as the “institutions could become icy in a hurry,” the NWS said.
According to KSL meteorologist Grant Weyman, the latest storm is part of a system moving in from the Northwest of the Pacific Ocean. Snowflakes arrived in northern Utah and around the Wasatch Front on Friday morning in a storm smaller than what would come after that.
The stronger stuff is expected late Friday night through Saturday. The weather service’s advice on winter weather, which was first issued on Thursday and updated on Friday, will take effect on Friday afternoon and last until Saturday evening. One advice says that snow accumulations are expected to reach 10 to 20 centimeters in the Wasatch Mountains north and south of I-80 and in the western Uinta Mountains, with some “local amounts” possible in some areas.
Weather Warning: A cold front will bring SAT PM mtn and light valley snow tonight. The biggest threat from the snow along the Wasatch Front is SLC north and on the benches. Be careful when traveling. For more information: https://t.co/4P1gO1U0Gg#outsnow#utwxpic.twitter.com/2wx3EgpwYk
– UDOT Traffic (@UDOTTRAFFIC) 26 February 2021
“Winter conditions can be expected on all routes at higher altitudes, especially in the upper Cottonwood Gorges, I-80 near Parley’s Summit and Logan Pass Friday night through Saturday,” the warning said.
Possible gusts may be associated with the storm, but the weather service removed a warning about negative 25-degree gusts in an update of its winter weather advice Friday.
Wasatchberg Valley
A second winter weather advice was issued for Wasatch mountain valleys – the Heber City, Huntsville and Park City area – which also went into effect late Friday afternoon through Saturday night. The weather service said the journeys along the Wasatch Front on Saturday morning could be affected.
The agency predicted that there would be 3 to 6 inches of snow falling in the areas, with a local amount higher in the Ogden Valley. The warning added that mountain valleys south of I-80 could receive 3 to 6 inches of snow; some parts of the Ogden Valley can receive up to 6 inches of snow from the storm.
The The national weather service has released an image the expected snow totals of the storm by Sunday morning, it’s about the time the storm will already be going through. In addition to the areas mentioned in the advice, it is predicted that cities such as Brigham City, Logan, Nephi, Ogden, Provo, Salt Lake City and Tooele will receive about 1 to 3 inches of snow.
Winter storm on the way! Northern mtn snow begins overnight and increases in intensity and coverage Friday, with snow falling down the valley until noon. Expect 8-14 “in mtns with locally higher counties (ie in Cottonwoods); 6-8” northern banks and 1-4 “valleys. #utwxpic.twitter.com/XyQckZbEJ4
NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) 25 February 2021
Central Utah
A third piece of advice was issued Friday morning for higher-altitude areas in central Utah, including places like Cove Fort, Fish Lake, Koosharem and Scofield, which went into effect Friday at 8 p.m. and lasted most of Saturday. It is recommended that some areas get 4 to 10 inches of snow.
“Sometimes a winter condition can be expected, especially along US 6 from Spanish Fork Canyon north of Price and the higher peak of I-70,” the statement said.
All three pieces of advice encourage motorists to “slow down and be careful while traveling.”
The storm is not expected to average the state’s snowpack numbers again, but it is expected to at least help the figure continue. According to SNOTEL, Utah’s snowfall on Friday was 77% of the normal average for this point during the year.
The additional snow could also cause avalanches after the threat became less severe than last week. According to the Utah Avalanche Center, most of Utah’s mountains have a ‘moderate’ or ‘significant’ risk of avalanches. The avalanche danger has been raised to ‘high’ for mountains near Logan.
Meanwhile, the forecast calls for better weather in March. According to Weyman, the temperature along the Wasatch Front is expected to return to the 40s and even lower 50s next week by this week.
Full forecasts for areas across Utah can be found at the KSL Weather Center.