SALT LAKE CITY – The National Weather Service has issued several winter weather warnings ahead of another storm that could provide over a foot of snow in the Wasatch Mountains and northern Utah from Friday night to Saturday.
It is also forecast to shed a few inches of snow in some valleys in the region and in impact areas in central Utah.
SEALANT
Utah Department of Transportation he said on Twitter shortly before 9 p.m., that direction 1-84 west was closed at the Utah-Idaho border; The UDOT traffic website has shown that the state is open again starting at 10 pm Drivers can find updated traffic information available at udottraffic.utah.gov.
State Route 210 in Big Cottonwood Canyon will close for uphill traffic at 12:30 on Saturday and will close for downhill traffic at 1 a.m. for the UDOT avalanche and safety check. The roads will reopen on Saturday at 8 am.
The laws of traction
Traction laws have been in effect in both the Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood canyons of Salt Lake County since 7 p.m. Traction devices, such as tires or snow chains, are required for all vehicles in both directions for state routes 210 and 190, according to UDOT.
All vehicles traveling on I-80 through Parley’s Canyon are necessary to have traction devices. Drivers heading east can stop and put chains on the right side of the road at the 129-mile post, and drivers west can put chains at the 146-mile post on the right, UDOT said on Twitter.
The laws of traction are also in force in Sardine Canyon in Cache County on US 91 in both directions, between milepost 2 and milepost 17. Meteorologists from the National Meteorological Service said earlier Friday that the storm will result in “dangerous journeys” through higher mountain passes such as Logan Canyon.
Times
Northern Utah and the Wasatch Front
Heavy snow showers move in central and northern Wasatch Front until Friday evening, National Meteorological Service he said on Twitter. The cold front of the storm dropped in temperature in the 1920s, and while the roads remained wet, they could quickly become frozen and drivers were urged to be careful, especially as “overpasses could quickly become frozen.” said NWS.
The latest storm is part of a system moving from the Pacific Northwest, according to KSL meteorologist Grant Weyman. Snowstorms arrived in northern Utah and around the Wasatch Front on Friday morning in a smaller storm than what was to come after it.
Stronger things are expected Friday night through Saturday. The winter weather recommendations of the weather service, which were first issued on Thursday and updated on Friday, will take effect in the late afternoon and will last until Saturday evening. An opinion states that snow accumulations are expected to reach 10 to 20 inches in the Wasatch Mountains north and south of I-80 and west of the Uinta Mountains, with some “larger amounts locally” possible in some areas.
Weather alert: a cold front will bring mtn snow and light valley tonight to SAT SAT. The biggest road snow threat along the Wasatch Front will be SLC to the north and on the banks. Please be careful when traveling. For more information: https://t.co/4P1gO1U0Gg#utsnow#utwxpic.twitter.com/2wx3EgpwYk
– UDOT Traffic (@UDOTTRAFFIC) February 26, 2021
“Winter driving conditions can be expected on all higher-altitude routes, especially in the upper Cottonwood, I-80 near Parley`s Summit and Logan Pass Friday night through Saturday,” the alert said.
Possible wind gusts could be associated with the storm, but the weather service has removed attention to negative 25-degree wind chills in an update of its winter weather warning.
Wasatch Mountain Valleys
A second winter weather warning was issued for the Wasatch Mountain valleys – the Heber City, Huntsville and Park City areas – which took effect late Friday afternoon through Saturday night. The weather service said that travel along the Wasatch Front could be affected on Saturday morning.
The agency predicted that 3 to 6 inches of snow would fall in those areas, with “locally higher” amounts possible in the Ogden Valley. The alert added that mountain valleys south of I-80 could receive 3 to 6 inches of snow; parts of the Ogden Valley could receive more than 6 to 8 inches of snow from the storm.
The National Weather Service has released an image displaying the expected snow totals from the storm until Sunday morning, which is approximately the time when the storm will already pass. In addition to the areas listed in the notice, cities such as Brigham City, Logan, Nephi, Ogden, Provo, Salt Lake City and Tooele are forecast to receive anywhere between 1 and 3 centimeters of snow.
Winter storm on the way! The northern mtn snow starts overnight and increases in intensity and coverage on Friday, with snow falling on the valley bottoms until Saturday morning. Expect 8-14 “in mtns with larger local amts (i.e. in Cottonwoods); 6-8” northern banks and 1-4 “valleys. #utwxpic.twitter.com/XyQckZbEJ4
– NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) February 25, 2021
Central Utah
A third notice was issued Friday morning for higher elevations in central Utah, including places such as Fort Cove, Fish Lake, Koosharem and Scofield, which went into effect at 8 pm on Friday and runs almost all Saturday. It is recommended that some areas be able to receive snow from 4 to 10 inches.
“You can expect occasional winter driving conditions, especially along US 6, from the Spanish Fork Canyon north of Price and the higher peaks of I-70,” it said.
All three recommendations encourage drivers to “slow down and be careful while traveling.”
The storm is not expected to bring the state’s average snowfall back to average, but at least it is expected to help the figure continue to advance. The Utah snow package has been at 77% of normal value for this time of year since Friday morning, according to SNOTEL data.
The extra snow could also pose avalanche problems after the threat became less severe than last week. As of 8 a.m. Friday, most mountains in Utah had either a “moderate” or “considerable” risk of avalanches, according to the Utah Avalanche Center. The avalanche danger has been moved to “high” for the mountains near Logan.
Meanwhile, the forecast requires better weather in March. Temperatures along the Wasatch Front are expected to return in the 1940s and even lower by the 50s by mid-week next week, according to Weyman.
Complete forecasts for areas of Utah can be found at KSL Weather Center.