Rob Steiner clears snow from a bench at Snowbird on Oct. 12, 2021. The National Weather Service says 1 to 2 feet of snow is possible in the Wasatch Mountains as a result of a storm arriving Monday evening. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)
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SALT LAKE CITY — It may be spring, but at least one last dose of winter is projected to come Utah’s way this week.
The National Weather Service on Sunday issued a winter storm watch for the northern Utah mountains where a storm with the potential of delivering 1 to 2 feet of snow to start the workweek. The storm is also forecast to bring snow into the valleys, as well.
“Enjoy (the weekend) because your shovels are going to be needed most likely,” said KSL meteorologist Kevin Eubank. “It’s a big-time kind of spring storm.”
A small cold front passed through Saturday, mostly only dropping high temperatures across the Wasatch Front by 15 to 20 degrees. However, a trough system coming in from the Pacific Northwest Monday is expected to be colder and add precipitation to the mix, Eubank explained.
It’s currently projected to arrive Monday afternoon into the evening, providing valley rain and mountain snow for most of the state. But that changes overnight into Tuesday, as rain shifts to snow.
“By Tuesday, (it’s) all snow, all the way down the I-15 corridor, all the way to eastern Utah,” he said. “Then, a secondary little push comes down Tuesday afternoon and evening, and that keeps stuff going — even lake effect snow going all the way through Wednesday morning.”
The winter storm watch goes into effect Monday afternoon and continues through Tuesday night for the Wasatch and West Uinta mountain ranges. It includes communities like Alta, Brighton, Mantua, as well as places by the Mirror Lake Highway.
The alert states wind gusts up to 40 mph are possible in addition to the possibility of 1 to 2 feet of snow.
Most valleys across the state are expected to receive snow accumulation. Eubank said 3 to 6 inches of snow is possible for Wasatch Front valleys, while benches may receive 6 to 10 inches of snow.
Temperatures will also plummet again. High temperatures will reach the low 60s Monday across the Wasatch Front; however, they are forecast to only top out in the 40s Tuesday and Wednesday. Lows are expected to fall below the freezing point.
High temperatures will return to the 50s again to close out the workweek.
In St. George, highs will fall from the 70s to the upper 50s and low 60s Tuesday and Wednesday before returning to near 70 by the end of the workweek.
Full seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online, at the KSL Weather Center.
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Carter Williams is an award-winning reporter who covers general news, outdoors, history and sports for KSL.com. He previously worked for the Deseret News. He is a Utah transplant by the way of Rochester, New York.