SALT LAKE CITY – The National Weather Service issued some winter weather advisories ahead of another storm that could bring more than 12 inches of snow Friday evening through Saturday in the Wasatch Mountains and northern Utah.
It is also predicted to dump several inches of snow in some of central Utah’s valleys and impact areas.
Closures
The Utah Department of Transportation said on Twitter shortly before 9:00 p.m., that west direction was closed 1-84 at the Utah-Idaho border; The UDOT traffic website showed that the highway was open again from 10 p.m. Drivers can find updated traffic information at udottraffic.utah.gov.
State Route 210 in Big Cottonwood Canyon will close Saturday at 12:30 pm to uphill traffic and at 1:00 am to downhill traffic for UDOT avalanche and security check. The roads will reopen on Saturday at 8 am.
Traction laws
Traction laws are in effect in both Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood canyons in Salt Lake County from Friday 7 p.m. Traction devices such as snow tires or chains are required on all vehicles in both directions for state routes 210 and 190, according to UDOT
All vehicles driving through Parley’s Canyon on I-80 are required to have traction equipmentEastbound drivers can stop and put chains on the right side of the road at milestone 129 and westbound drivers can put chains on the right side of milestone 146 on the right, UDOT said on Twitter.
Traction laws are also in effect throughout Sardine Canyon in Cache County on US 91 in both directions, between milestone 2 and milestone 17. The National Weather Service meteorologists said earlier Friday that the storm would result in “dangerous travel” through higher mountain passes like Logan Canyon.
Weather
Northern Utah and Wasatch Front
Heavy snow showers sweep over the central and northern Wasatch Front until 10 p.m. Friday, the National Weather Service said on TwitterThe cold front of the storm has caused temperatures to drop in the 1920s and although the roads have remained wet they can quickly become freezing and drivers are urged to be careful, especially as “flyovers can get freezing in a hurry” according to the NWS.
The latest storm is part of a system coming in from the Pacific Northwest, according to KSL meteorologist Grant Weyman. Snow flurries arrived in northern Utah and around the Wasatch Front Friday morning in a storm smaller than what came next.
The stronger stuff is expected late Friday night to Saturday. The weather service’s winter weather advisories, first issued on Thursday and updated Friday, will take effect late Friday afternoon and last through Saturday evening. One advisory states that snow accumulations are expected to reach 10 to 20 inches in the Wasatch Mountains north and south of I-80 and in the western Uinta Mountains, with some “locally higher amounts” in some areas.
Weather alert: a cold front will bring snow on the mountain and light valley road tonight until SAT PM. The biggest threat from road snow along the Wasatch Front is SLC to the north and on the banks. Be careful while traveling. For more info: https://t.co/4P1gO1U0Gg#utsnow#utwxpic.twitter.com/2wx3EgpwYk
– UDOT traffic (@UDOTTRAFFIC) February 26, 2021
“Winter driving conditions can be expected on all higher elevation routes, especially in the Upper Cottonwood Canyons, I-80 near Parley`s Summit and Logan Pass from Friday night to Saturday,” the warning said.
Possible gusts of wind could be linked to the storm, but the weather service removed a 25-degree negative wind warning in an update to its winter weather advisory Friday.
Wasatch Mountain valleys
A second winter weather advisory was issued for the Wasatch Mountain valleys – the Heber City, Huntsville, and Park City areas – which also went into effect late Friday afternoon to Saturday night. The weather service stated that traveling along the Wasatch Front on Saturday mornings could be affected.
The agency predicts 3-6 inches of snow will fall in those areas, with “locally higher” amounts possible in the Ogden Valley. The alarm-added mountain valleys south of I-80 can receive 3 to 6 inches of snow; some parts of the Ogden Valley could receive more than 6 to 8 inches of snow from the storm.
The National Weather Service released an image with the storm’s expected snow totals by Sunday morning, about the time the storm is already over. In addition to the areas listed in the advisory, cities like Brigham City, Logan, Nephi, Ogden, Provo, Salt Lake City and Tooele are expected to receive anywhere from 1 to 8 inches of snow.
Winter storm is coming! Northern mtn snow starts at night and increases in intensity and coverage on Friday, with snow falling to the valley bottoms by Saturday morning. Expect 8-14 “in mtns with locally higher amts (ie 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 advisory was issued Friday morning for higher ground in central Utah, including places like Cove Fort, Fish Lake, Koosharem and Scofield, which went into effect Friday at 8 p.m. and continues most of Saturday. It advises that some areas can receive 4 to 10 inches of snow.
“Winter driving conditions can be expected from time to time, especially along US 6 from Spanish Fork Canyon to north of Price and the higher peaks of I-70,” it said.
All three pieces of advice encourage motorists to “slow down and use caution when traveling.”
The storm is not expected to bring the state’s snowpack numbers back to the average, but is expected to at least help the figure move forward. According to SNOTEL data, Utah’s snowpack was 77% of normal for this point in the year as of Friday morning.
The extra snow can also cause avalanche problems after the threat became less severe than last week. According to the Utah Avalanche Center, most mountains in Utah were at “moderate” or “significant” avalanche risk from Friday at 8 a.m. Avalanche danger was shifted to “high” for mountains near Logan.
Meanwhile, the forecast calls for better weather towards March. According to Weyman, temperatures along the Wasatch Front are expected to return to the 1940s and even lower by midweek next week.
Full forecasts for areas in Utah can be found at the KSL Weather Center.