A cold front will sweep through the state Saturday afternoon, bringing temps as low as the 20s to northern Utah early Monday.
The frigid storm is expected to bring “significant early-season accumulating snow” to northern Utah’s mountains this weekend, according to the National Weather Service. But snow is also probable on the benches — and possible in the valleys.
The incoming weather system will be especially cold for Utah’s October standards, the weather service advised. And it will follow an unseasonably warm Friday, where temps in the low 70s are expected in Salt Lake City (10 degrees above normal), and temps in the low 80s are expected in St. George (5 degrees above normal).
Temperatures will reach about 60 degrees early Saturday in Salt Lake City, but when the afternoon cold front arrives, they’ll drop into the 40s, then into the mid-30s overnight.
There’s a 90% chance of rain in Salt Lake City on Saturday, and a 60% chance of rain — possibly mixed with snow — on Sunday, when the forecast high is just 44.
Snow levels will begin at 8,500 feet on Saturday afternoon and approach valley floors by Sunday morning.
In the mountains, accumulations of 6-12 inches are expected, with some areas getting more than a foot of snow. The higher passes of I-15 and I-70 and the Cove Fort area could see “heavy rain/snow mix or potentially even snow” Saturday night, the weather service advised.
How much snow could Salt Lake City get?
It’s unclear how much snow the valleys could see; the weather service didn’t making any specific predictions. But there is the “potential for snow to mix down into the valleys of northern and central Utah” from Sunday afternoon into Sunday night.
There’s also “certainly a window for lake-effect snow” as colder temperatures sweep across the relatively warm Great Salt Lake, the weather service said.
The “highest likelihood” for snow accumulation on northern valley floors stretches from roughly Bountiful through the Salt Lake Valley to the Tooele Valley.
Early Monday, the first “hard freeze” of the fall is likely in the valleys, with temperatures below 28 degrees possible. That could kill or damage crops and freeze external pipes.
As the sun rises, temperatures will warm to near 50 degrees Monday morning. There’s a slight chance of rain with otherwise mostly sunny skies.
Tuesday will bring partly sunny skies, a high near 50 and a slight chance of rain and snow. Wednesday will see a high of about 56.
In southwestern Utah, a high of about 76 is expected Saturday in St. George, falling to 59 on Sunday.
There’s a 60% chance of rain on Saturday night, and a 30% chance on Sunday. After a high in the low 60s on Monday, temperatures are expected to rebound into the upper 60s on Tuesday and Wednesday.
