Incoming storm to bring valley snow, boost to northern Utah’s mountains, again

SALT LAKE CITY — Snow is back in Utah’s forecast after a short slowdown in storm activity this week.

The next wave of moisture is coming from the Pacific Northwest, yet again, passing through parts of Utah’s northern half and areas north of Utah beginning Friday evening, according to KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson. Storm activity will linger into Saturday morning, spreading into more of the Wasatch region and to central Utah.

Scattered snow showers may linger throughout the rest of the day and possibly even into Sunday, especially in the northern third of the state, Johnson adds.

None of it is expected to be as large as some of the other recent storms Utah’s had, but the National Weather Service says the storm could deliver up to another foot of snow in the upper Cottonwood canyons and the Bear River range in northern Utah. In general, mountains across northern Utah are forecast to receive anywhere between 3 to 8 inches.

A trace to an inch or two of snow is forecast for the Wasatch Front and northern Utah, while Wasatch Back communities could see a few additional inches of snow. Johnson said it appears the storm will miss most areas south of Fillmore.

Utah’s statewide snowpack slipped to 94% of the median average for this point in the season by Friday morning after briefly jumping past 100% earlier this week, per Natural Resources Conservation Service data. However, a snowpack gap persists between the state’s different regions.

Many of the state’s northern snowpack basins remain between 90% and 116% of the median average, while some parts of central Utah have fallen to 66%-74% of the average. Some of southern Utah’s snowpack basins remain under 50%, slightly above record-low levels for the first half of January.

The difference, Johnson said, also exists in snow depth data. Areas in northern Utah — like Tony Grove, Monte Cristo, Farmington Canyon and Trial Lake — now have snow depths above normal for this point in the season. By contrast, Cedar Breaks, in southern Utah, has snow nearly half as deep as its normal level.

Full seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online at the KSL Weather Center.