Salt Lake City, Utah – A Winter Storm Watch calls for up to 20 inches of mountain snow through Friday afternoon.
The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City issued the watch at 3:42 p.m. MST Tuesday for the Wasatch Mountains, Western Uinta Mountains and Central Mountains. The alert takes effect early Thursday morning and continues through Friday afternoon.
Forecasters say heavy snow is possible, with total accumulations of 8 to 14 inches across the Wasatch Mountains and Western Uinta Mountains. Higher elevations in the Upper Cottonwoods could see locally up to 20 inches. In the Central Mountains, including Fish Lake, Cove Fort and Joes Valley, snowfall totals between 6 and 14 inches are possible.
According to the National Weather Service, accumulating snowfall is expected to accompany a cold front moving through Thursday morning. Travel disruptions are likely, particularly along mountain routes such as Mirror Lake Highway, Logan Summit, Alta, Brighton and Mantua. Traction law restrictions may be enacted.
A temporary lull is forecast Thursday afternoon before additional wraparound snow showers redevelop late Thursday into Friday morning.
Drivers planning travel through northern and central Utah mountain corridors should monitor updated forecasts and check road conditions. The Utah Department of Transportation provides real-time traffic updates at udottraffic.utah.gov.
A Winter Storm Watch means conditions are favorable for significant snow, but timing and totals may still change as the system develops.
