Spring warmth today with return of winter looming
We are coming off of a picture-perfect day yesterday that brought our first 70° in Salt Lake City! The weather will continue to be spring-like in Utah today, with temperatures expected to be warmer across the state, but a return of winter weather is expected as a new storm approaches from the west. Highs will be mostly in the 50s and 60s for most, but there will be several spots in the 70s along the Wasatch Front, with some seeing some reaching mid-70s. Winds will increase across Utah, with winds strongest along and west of I-15 expected to strengthen, and there are multiple High Wind Watches in eastern Utah for potential gusts of up to 65-75 mph. The next winter storm will move in tomorrow and will result in temperatures running about 10-20 degrees cooler compared to the current conditions. Potential snowfall accumulations are uncertain due to the strength of the storm. However, a trailing system will bring unsettled weather and temperatures will moderate by mid-week, leading to temperatures reaching above seasonal norms.
Publié : il y a 4 semaines par Garrett James dans
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Happy Thursday, or happy Friday eve, Utah! We are coming off of a picture-perfect day yesterday that brought our first 70° in Salt Lake City.
We keep the spring warmth in place today and in most spots, it will actually be a fraction warmer. We will start to see changes though as we get increasing clouds and winds as our next storm starts to approach from the west.
Across the state we’ll see a mix of sun and clouds with a little more cloud coverage than sun in northern Utah. Highs will range in the 50s and 60s for most, but there will be several spots in the 70s. Along the Wasatch Front we’ll see upper 60s and low 70s with a chance some try to sneak into the mid 70s. Places like St. George will reach the mid 70s comfortably while Moab may make a run at 80°.
Winds today will be strongest along and west of I-15 through the day and for most spots west of I-15, there is a Wind Advisory in effect through midnight tonight as southerly wind gusts may reach 55 mph. In eastern Utah, there are multiple High Wind Watches posted that will be in effect tomorrow as gusts could reach 65-75 mph. Even for areas not included within alerts, it will be windy today and tomorrow.
The increased winds are in response to our next winter storm. That storm will begin to move in tomorrow and send in two cold fronts. The first arrives tomorrow and will result in daytime highs running about 10-20 degrees cooler compared to what we find today. That will mean most will see highs near or below average with a chance some see that high early in the day as colder air continues to trickle in. There will be scattered showers as the front moves in with wet weather favoring the northern half of the state. We’ll mainly see valley rain and mountain snow with snow levels likely starting near 7,000 ft.
The core of the colder air will push in from the second half of Friday into Saturday morning. As scattered showers stick around, there’s a chance that we see snow levels in northern Utah fall all the way to valley floors where some accumulations can’t be ruled out at this point. By Saturday daytime highs will mainly be in the 30s and 40s up north while southern Utah sees only 40s and 50. That will be good for highs about 10-15 degrees below average.
When it comes to potential snowfall accumulations, the forecast is tricky as models are split on the strength of this storm. As of right now, it looks like 6-12″ looks achievable for the northern mountains with a chance we see up to 2 ft. if everything comes together. The central and southern mountains won’t do as well with wet weather favoring northern Utah, but 2-6″ looks possible. For valleys, we could see straight rain while northern valleys could see a trace-4″ with maybe a little more for the benches. Mountain valleys in northern Utah will likely land between 2-6″ with locally up to 10″ for valleys higher in elevation.
Our storm will move away by Sunday; however, a trailing system will result in unsettled weather hanging around Sunday and Monday with a slight chance of spotty showers. By that point though, daytime highs will begin to moderate. High pressure will build in by the middle of next week which will help temperatures climb to above seasonal norms once again by next Wednesday. The Utah spring weather roller coaster continues!
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