Snow cover

Current Utah snow cover.

Round 2

Another storm is forecasted to move into Utah on Friday night and continue through the day on Saturday, a few light snow showers/flurries lingering into Sunday. Plan on 1-2" for most western Utah Valleys, 2-3" benches, 3-8" for most areas above 6,000 ft, local 8-10" for favored mountain locations.

See below for model projected snowfall for this storm.

January Outlook

Looks like warmer than normal weather for Utah in January with near normal precipitation. These forecasts are typically just ok and I would say only correct 60% of the time in Utah.

Finally a little snow is on the way!

We finally have a storm for Utah after 11 days of dry weather! Look for rain/snow/freezing rain to develop late Friday evening over Utah and continue into the day on Thursday, mostly ending by dark. Plan on a general 6-10" of snow for the central/southern Wasatch/Uinta/Wasatch Plateau above 7,000 ft, 2-6" northern Wasatch and southern Utah mountains. Very tricky forecast for the valleys with the cold air trapped near the surface, otherwise it would be rain for the valleys. Depending on your valley location you will see rain/snow/freezing rain, most accumulating valley snow looks to fall north of the point of the mountain. See below map for model projected snowfall for the storm.

Inversion!

View of the Salt Lake Valley inversion from Suncrest in Draper.

Photo courtesy of Jeff McGrath.

Snow covers almost the entire state including Dixie!

Click on image to enlarge.

More snow!

Another storm is expected to bring snow to most areas of the state on Saturday. Plan on a general 6-12" of snow for the northern Utah mountains north of I-18, 8-18" south of I-80. In the valleys look for a general 2-7" in most Utah valleys including Dixie. Enjoy!

Picture of WRF model projected snow for the entire storm.

Cold!

-42 was the low at Peter Sinks last night, a few clouds/wind came in and stopped the dropping temperatures http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?sid=PSINK&banner=gmap&raw=0
-33 in the Uinta's this morning, http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?sid=WFBU1&banner=gmap&raw=0
-31 Panguitch http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?sid=KU55&banner=gmap&raw=0
-24 in Rush Valley http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?wfo=&sid=FAU&num=48&raw=0&dbn=m&banner=header

Cold winter storm - Heavy snow in areas!

A strong cold front is forecasted to move quickly through northern Utah on Monday night then stall over central/southern Utah on Tuesday, finally moves out of the state on Wednesday morning. Look for widespread snow with the cold front, lighter snow showers will continue at times behind the front through Wednesday focused over the mountain areas that do well in a northerly flow and south of the Great Salt Lake/Utah Lake/Bear Lake. Plan on a general 6-12" (8-14" Cottonwoods) of snow for the northern and Utah mountains above 7,000 ft with local 12-18" for the Oquirrhs/Uintas, 12-20"+ for the central/southern Utah mountains. Northern Utah valleys are projected to see a general trace-3" of snow, 2-5" benches, local 5-10"+ in the Tooele valley and south end of Utah valley along with many western central/southern Utah valleys. See below image for model projected snow fall through 5am Thursday.

November Climatic Summary

Go to http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/CLM/November2013_Climatic_Summary.pdf

December Outlook

Look for warmer than normal temperatures for all of Utah with near normal precipitation.

Strong downslope/gap winds!

See the below image for WRF model projected winds for Friday at 2am. Local areas focused around Centerville/Famington are forecasted to see steady winds of 45-55 mph with gusts up to 70+ mph!

Slow moving storm - Heavy snow for southern Utah!

See the below image for model projected snow fall between 5pm Wednesday and 5pm Friday. Look for a general 2-5" of snow for the northern Utah mountains, 8-20"+ for the southern Utah mountains.

Two storms

The first small storm was today, a second and bigger storm moves into northern Utah early on Saturday morning, mostly ending by midnight. Plan on a general 8-14" of snow for the northern Wasatch Front mountains above 7,000 ft, 6-12" for the central Wasatch, 4-8" for the southern Wasatch mountains. Look for 1-4" valley/bench snow for the northern Wasatch, 1/2-2" for the central Wasatch, trace-1" for the southern Wasatch.

Below is the WRF model projected snow fall for the small Friday storm and the bigger Saturday storm.

Snow covers just the higher mountains of Utah

October Climatic Summary

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/CLM/October2013_Climatic_Summary.pdf

Slow moving storm

A slow moving storm will move into Utah on Monday and continue into Wednesday. Click on the below image for WRF model forecasted snow for the entire storm. Plan on a trace-2" of snow between 5,000 and 7,000 ft, 2-7" of snow for most Utah mountain areas above 7,000 ft with local 8-14" amounts focused in areas above 10,000 ft that do well in a southerly flow like the southerly slops of the high Uinta's.

November Outlook

Look for near normal precipitation for all of Utah in November with warmer than normal temperatures for the central and southern areas of the state.

September Climatic Summary

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/CLM/September2013_Climatic_Summary.pdf

Satellite picture of snow

Satellite picture of the snow over the higher peaks of northern and central Utah on September 28th.

First snow of the year!

The Wasatch mountains saw the first snow of the year yesterday (other areas of the state had snow earlier in the week) with more on the way tonight into Friday morning. Temperatures are cold enough for snow in the air down to 4,800 ft on Friday morning with possible accumulations on the high SLC area benches down to 5,000 ft as a lake band sets up.

Devil's Castle at Alta on the 27th.

October Outlook

Look for warmer than normal temperatures for all of Utah in October with near normal precipitation.

Lightning in Arches National Park

Large hail

Golf ball size hail in the Uinta Basin of Utah today, normally you only see this size in the plains!

Lake Powell flash floods and water falls

Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCffOoPuLAo for video of the flash floods and water falls from Saturday September 7th.

Funnel Cloud

Picture of a Funnel Cloud in the Heber Valley today.

August Climatic Summary

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/CLM/August2013_Climatic_Summary.pdf

September Outlook

Look for the warm weather to continue over all of Utah with near normal precipitation.

Fire whirl - smoke

Check out the fire whirl in Utah on the August 13th from the Rockport fire. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb2xLgkMfA4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Picture of smoke from the Patch Springs fire moving into southern Salt Lake and northern Utah valleys on the 13th.

Flash flood Antelope Canyon and Page!

Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VD5GxluHN8&feature=share for amazing video of flash flooding in Antelope canyon and Page.

July climatic summary

Go to http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/CLM/July2013_Climatic_Summary.pdf

August Outlook

It looks like the above normal temperatures will continue over all of Utah in August with near normal precipitation.

June climatic summary

Go to http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/CLM/June2013_Climatic_Summary.pdf

HOT!

Looks like the entire state is going to see much above temperatures for the next 7 days or even longer with highs along the Wasatch front in the 100's, 110+ in the southern Utah deserts!

July Outlook

Look for warmer than normal temperatures for all of Utah in July with above normal precipitation for southern Utah as a more active monsoon season is forecasted to set up.

May climatic summary

Go to http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/CLM/May2013_Climatic_Summary.pdf

Sunny Day!

June Outlook

The long range forecast for June has warmer than normal temperatures for all of Utah with near normal to slightly below normal precipitation for the northwest corner of the state.

Spring Rain

Much needed spring rain is coming Friday into the weekend with a large area of 0.25"+ rain, some local areas seeing as much as 1.25". Click on the below picture for model projected rain between 6pm Thursday and 6pm on Sunday.

April climatic summary

Go to http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/CLM/April2013_Climatic_Summary.pdf

May Outlook

Plan on a warmer than normal May in all areas of Utah with near normal precipitation for most areas, slightly below normal in the far northern areas.

Snowpack - Utah Lake

See the below picture for how the last three years snow pack compares to normal for the Utah Lake/Jordan River drainage, most other basins in northern Utah will look similar.

Click on image to make bigger.

Back to winter!

A slow moving winter storm is expected to slowly move through Utah Monday through Wednesday with accumulating snow mainly above 5,000 ft, temperatures do get cold enough for snow down to around 4,000 ft at times. As of now plan on a general 6-12" of snow above 7,000 ft for most all Utah mountain areas with local 12-24"+ focused over the Uintas. See below for model projected snow fall through 6 pm Wednesday.

Strong Downslope/Canyon Winds - Snow

A strong storm is expected to move into Utah on Monday and continue into the day on Tuesday. Plan on areas of heavy snow focused over central/southern Utah mountains. Look for a general 6-12" of snow for most Utah Mountain areas above 7,000 ft with local 12-24" amounts. See the below map for model projected snowfall.

The other big story will be the strong downslope canyon winds focused in Weber and Davis county with gusts of 70+ mph possible on Monday night into the morning hours on Tuesday! Click on the below map for model projected wind speeds in knots for the Wasatch Front at 2am on Tuesday.

March climatic summary

Go to http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/CLM/March2013_Climatic_Summary.pdf

Second round of snow, colder

The second round of snow is expected to move into northern Utah early Friday morning and continue into the morning hours on Saturday, winter like temperatures. Most accumulation snow will fall south and east of the Great Salt Lake as lake effect sets up. Plan on 1-3" of snow for the northern Wasatch mountains above 7,000 ft, 5-7" for the central/southern Wasatch. Look for tr-1" in the northern Wasatch front valleys, 2-3" in the Salt Lake/Tooele Valley with locally higher amounts benches, and 1-3" in Utah valley.

April Outllok

No good news in the April outlook for Utah with continued drier than normal weather expected. Temperatures in April are forecasted to be near normal for northwestern Utah and above normal for southeastern Utah.

Back to winter

Back to winter as the first of two storms is expected to bring snow back to mainly northern Utah on Wednesday into the morning hours on Thursday, second storm on Friday into Saturday morning. Plan on a general 6-12" of snow above 7,000 ft in the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains by 6pm on Thursday, see below for model projected snow fall with the first storm.

Quick small storm

A quick moving and small storm is expected to move through northern Utah on Sunday with a general 2-5" of snow above 7,000 ft for the Wasatch and Uinta mountains. Plan on a few rain changing to snow showers in the valleys with no accumulation. Click on the below picture for the model projected snow fall.

Mostly going south

A cold front is expected to move into Northern Utah this afternoon/tonight then stall over Salt Lake County and weaken as the main trough of low pressure moves through southern California/Arizona over the next several days. Most valleys in the state below 5,000 ft will see rain but watch for local Trace -1" of snow as low as the valley floor where the frontal band stalls tonight. By Saturday at 5pm plan on 2-4" mountain valleys, a general 3-8" for the Wasatch mountains above 7,000 ft, and 6-14" in the central and southern Utah mountains. See below for model projected snow fall through 5pm on Saturday.

Snow cover

Snow cover over Utah as of March 4th.

Valley rain and mountain snow

Look for a weak storm to move through the entire state on Sunday into Sunday night with valley rain and snow mainly above 6,500 ft. Plan on a general 3-8" of snow above 7,500 ft in the northern Utah mountains with 1-4" in the southern Utah mountains. See below for the model projected snow fall map.

February climatic summary

Go to http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/CLM/February2013_Climatic_Summary.pdf

Cold

It was -38 this morning at Peter Sinks near Logan Summit. http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?sid=PSINK&banner=gmap&raw=0 It was -10 in Randolph http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?wfo=&sid=C8430&num=48&raw=0&dbn=m&banner=header It was 2 in Eagle Mountain http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/getobext.php?wfo=&sid=D6014&num=48&raw=0&dbn=m&banner=header

Small storm

A small storm is expected to move into northern Utah on Monday night and continue into the morning hours on Tuesday. Plan on a general trace-2" of snow in the valleys, 1-3" benches and mountain valleys, 3-9" mountains above 7,000 ft. See below for model forecasted snow.

View after the storm

Picture of the back side of Timpangos from near the top of Baldy at Snowbird today.

Strong fast cold front then lake effect

Look for a strong and fast moving cold front to race through northern Utah on Saturday with a few hours of moderate to heavy snow, don't expect much snow with the cold front. After the cold front moves through plan on a several hour break then orographic snow will fill in on Saturday night into Sunday with lake effect setting up south and east of the Great Salt Lake. As of now plan on  6-10" of snow for the northern/southern Wasatch mountains above 8,000 ft, 8-16"+ for the central Wasatch mountains. Plan on a general 2-4" for the Wasatch front valleys, 4-8"+ bench areas that do well in a northwest flow and local areas south and east of the Great Salt Lake. The below picture is model projected snow fall through 5pm on Sunday.

March Outlook

See below for the March outlook, does not look great with below normal precipitation for all of the state! I do want to say that I don't put much faith in these forecasts for Utah.

Another slow moving statewide storm - update

The next slow moving statewide storm is expected to move into Utah on Tuesday night and continue into Thursday night. As of now plan on a general 2-5" of snow above 8,000 ft for the northern Wasatch Mountains, 4-8" for the central/southern Wasatch and Uinta mountains, and 8-14" for the central/southern Utah mountains. Look for a general tr-2" for the northern Utah valleys and 1-4" for the southern Utah valleys above 4,000 ft. The below picture is model projected snow fall through 5pm on Thursday.

Halo

Picture of the Halo around the sun today in Ogden Utah. Native Americans believed the appearance of a sun dog or halo meant a storm would come within five days!

Slow moving state wide storm - updated

A slow moving storm is expected to move into Utah on Friday and continue into Monday morning. Look for snow for most all areas of the state except the lowest desert valleys. Areas that do well in a southerly flow will see the most snow on Friday/Friday night then it switches to areas that do well in a northerly flow on Saturday night/Sunday. As of now plan on Trace-4" in the valleys above 4,000' feet, 3-8" for areas between  5,000' and 7,000' feet, and 8-14"+ for the Wasatch and southern mountains (12-20" for the Wasatch Plateau and Uintas). Below picture is model forecasted snow through 5am on Monday.

January climatic summary

Go to http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/climate/CLM/January2013_Climatic_Summary.pdf

Warm Front - Snow Totals

Another warm front is expected to move through northern and central Utah on Wednesday into Thursday morning bringing another 2-6" of snow to the northern and southern Wasatch front valleys with 1-4" in the Salt Lake valley. Plan on 3-7" for the mountain valleys (6-12" Ogden valley) with 8-14" for most mountain locations above 8,000 ft.

Snow totals from the first warm front that moved through Utah today:
Liberty 32"
Snowbasin 22"
Alpine 18"
Alta 17"
Lehi 12"

Snow returns to Utah!

A storm moving through central and southern Utah today with bring valley rain and mountain snow, a second and stronger storm is expected to move through the entire state on Sunday into Sunday night with valley rain changing snow snow in all but the lowest desert valleys. Through 5am on Monday plan on a general 5-10" of snow for most Utah mountain areas above 8,000 ft with local 10-15" amounts focused in the Wasatch. See below graphic for model projected snow fall between 5am on Saturday and 5am on Monday.