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Hi, this is Eric Schoening with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City. This is a short
briefing about a winter storm that will move into Utah on Tuesday.
This is a cold and potent winter storm that we are expecting on Tuesday. Temperatures will drop
sharply, especially compared to the mild November that we had in most locations. Snow levels
will drop to the valley floors immediately behind the cold front, and accumulating snow
will be widespread. This snowfall is going to lead to winter driving conditions
through the day Tuesday and continuing into Tuesday night in some places, so we
especially want people to be prepared for hazardous travel.
Impacts and timing will be slightly different as you head south, so we’ll talk about the
north and south separately real quickly. In northern Utah and southwest Wyoming, the cold
front is going to arrive late Monday night through Tuesday morning. This will likely
impact commuters on Tuesday, and gusty winds could combine with the falling snow to impair
travel across the area. Again, this storm is quite cold, so even after snow ends, the area
will have much colder temperatures for several days after the cold front.
In central and southern Utah, the front won’t arrive until Tuesday afternoon or evening.
However, the impacts will be even greater in this area, as the precipitation increases as
the front heads south. Travel will be treacherous in this portion of the state, with
widespread road snow. Snow levels will drop quickly to the valley floors, and you could
even see some snow in Dixie on Tuesday night. Starting Wednesday, everywhere except
far southern Utah is likely to see highs below freezing.
In terms of forecast confidence, we’re highly confident that a cold front will bring
accumulating snow to most locations Tuesday and significantly colder
temperatures for the latter half of the upcoming week. It is likely that snowfall will
impact commutes along the Wasatch Front on Tuesday, but there is some uncertainty with
the details, particularly whether both commutes will be impacted. That said, you should
prepare for winter driving conditions on Tuesday. There’s lower confidence in what the
snow accumulation amounts, and particularly how long the snow will last in far northern Utah.
However, the bottom line is that this will be a significant storm for the state, bringing a
big change in the weather and hazardous driving conditions.
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