SALT LAKE CITY — A storm is moving out of Utah Wednesday but rain and lake effect snow showers may linger through the morning commute.

Rain showers will also continue across southern Utah through midday.

While the precipitation is on its way out, temperatures should be much cooler Wednesday than in recent days. That will give way to warmer, sunny weather in the next few days and temperatures will be well above average by the end of the weekend.

More wet weather could arrive by early next week.

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SALT LAKE CITY — A cold front is sending temperatures downward across Utah Wednesday, bringing rain to the valleys and snow to the mountains.

While valley areas are most likely to see rain, Salt Lake City could see its first snowflakes of the season or some graupel, which is also called snow pellets or soft hail.

The cold front is moving from northwest Utah to southeast, and daytime highs will peak in the morning before trending downward.

The first initial chances for precipitation will be Wednesday afternoon. Lake effect snow could develop Wednesday night into Thursday in Salt Lake and Tooele counties.

The front will also make for windy conditions and an overnight freeze.

“This much of a freeze this early on can really catch people off guard,” said Rich Woodruff with the American Red Cross.

Click here for tips on preparing your home for a freeze. 

Keep up-to-date with the latest breaking news and weather on Fox 13’s website and mobile app.
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SALT LAKE CITY — A cold front is sending temperatures downward across Utah Wednesday, bringing rain to the valleys and snow to the mountains.

While valley areas are most likely to see rain, Salt Lake City could see its first snowflakes of the season or some graupel, which is also called snow pellets or soft hail.

The cold front is moving from northwest Utah to southeast, and daytime highs will peak in the morning before trending downward.

The first initial chances for precipitation will be Wednesday afternoon. Lake effect snow could develop Wednesday night into Thursday in Salt Lake and Tooele counties.

The front will also make for windy conditions and an overnight freeze.

“This much of a freeze this early on can really catch people off guard,” said Rich Woodruff with the American Red Cross.

Click here for tips on preparing your home for a freeze. 

Keep up-to-date with the latest breaking news and weather on Fox 13’s website and mobile app.
Click here to download on all iOS devices.
Click here to download on all Android operating systems. 

SALT LAKE CITY — Most Utahns can expect nice weather to finish out the week, but a cold front will arrive late Saturday and bring a chance of snow by Sunday.

Friday should be sunny with warmer temperatures than Thursday, and Saturday should have mild weather for most of the day.

Breezy conditions will arrive Saturday afternoon and evening as the cold front moves in, and temperatures will get much colder by Sunday.

Snow is likely in the mountains Saturday night and Sunday, while light snow is possible in valley areas early Sunday.

Another cold front will keep temperatures very cool next week.

Keep up-to-date with the latest breaking news and weather on Fox 13’s website and mobile app.
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SALT LAKE CITY — Record-breaking cold temps have descended on Salt Lake City, and snow is expected to arrive late Monday night.

The National Weather Service said it was 22 degrees in Salt Lake City at 4:37 a.m., which breaks the previous record for cold temperatures for this day from 1919 and 1970 (23 degrees).

Monday should be cold but quiet with well below-average temperatures.

An even colder storm will arrive Tuesday, and snow is likely in the mountains and valleys starting late Monday night.

That snow could persist through Tuesday evening. A Winter Weather Advisory states 3 to 8 inches of snow are possible in the mountains north of I-80.

Temperatures will continue to fall, with more record-low temps possible by midweek.

Things should begin to dry out Wednesday, and temperatures will begin warming up for the second half of the week.

Keep up-to-date with the latest breaking news and weather on Fox 13’s website and mobile app.
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AMERICAN FORK, Utah—Video from the Alpine District Snow Day Instagram page, that had at least 7,000 followers earlier this year, when school districts across the State had a snow day and their district did not, it spurred the district to make some changes.

Something, parents in the area said is a relief.

“I remember getting on the road and the roads weren’t plowed, and it was crazy,” said Genifer Bacher who had one child with the district this past school year.

Bacher remembers the chaos of February 6 as “snowpocalypse,” and students remember it as the day they did not have a snow day.

“You kind of have the grand scope of things and you think, wow, why didn’t they close the school down?” said Bacher.

Students took to Instagram, creating an account with memes about how they were braving the cold, and even created a GoFundMe with a petition writing, “this day will live in infamy.”

“It made us feel, as parents, does the school district really care about our students? Do they care about the safety of our students?” said Bacher.

Kimberly Bird with the Alpine School District said the new plans announced Tuesday night, show they do care about student and teacher safety.

“We have a system that will alert everyone of the decision made,” said Bird.

With the district’s student alert system, every parent is given the opportunity to sign up for, sends texts, emails or calls from the school.

With the new policy, Bird said they will alert students if school has been delayed two hours, will get out early, or is completely canceled.

“When we know about weather the night before we’re going to give an advisory to our staff that it’s likely we’ll call a delayed start,” said Bird. “We also have a portion of our policy that would say if something happens in the morning, we’d make a call around 5 AM.”

The large area Alpine School District covers, varies in how much snow each school will get. Bird said, they have a new communication plan that would allow them to cancel or change school schedules in clusters, instead of district-wide.

The new policy also has a communication plan for bus drivers.

“We have one of the largest bus fleets in the state,” said Bird.

Different areas will have certain bus drivers who know how to handle the weather conditions specific to that location. Each bus driver is provided with chains for their tires and a fog strobe light for the top of their bus.

“All of the feedback that’s come from the parents and even the funny memes from students, it’s helped us make some improvements to our policy and practice,” said Bird.

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah will start the week with warm and dry weather on Monday, and it will get even warmer Tuesday.

A slow-moving storm will cross the southwest desert during the middle of the week. This will bring widespread valley rain and mountain snow to Southern, Central, and Eastern Utah.

Wet weather will spread north on Wednesday and last through Thursday. The storm will mainly bring rain in the valleys, with snow in the mountains.

There could be a rain/snow mix in the valleys, but if so it will be light and taper off pretty quickly as the storm moves away.

The weather should dry out again by Friday and stay that way for the weekend.

Keep up-to-date with the latest breaking news and weather on Fox 13’s website and mobile app.
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BRIAN HEAD, Utah—A storm bringing a mixture of rain and snow to southern Utah was a welcomed positive for the small Iron County town of Brian Head.

“A little boost from mother nature never hurts, said Mark Wilder, Public Relations Coordinator at Brian Head Resort. “It’ll just help our graduated opening, we’ll be able to get more terrain open sooner.”

The graduated opening begins on Friday, making Brian Head one of the early resorts to open for the 2019/2020 winter season. Wilder has been at Brian Head for over 40 years and knows the precise opening and target dates.

“We’re within a week one side or the other from our previous openings for the past five years,” said Wilder. The storm began late Tuesday and continued to dump fresh snow on Brian Head through the evening hours of Wednesday. By the time Wednesday morning rolled around, nearly eight inches of snow had fallen at the base areas. Storm totals could reach two feet, potentially more at the highest elevations.

Nearby businesses have welcomed the snowfall with open arms, citing the potential for some pre-Thanksgiving visitors in the small town.

“Now this winter, it’ll be new for me so I’m excited for it,” said Sherrie Johnson, owner of Mountain Peak Cafe which opened in the ‘mall’ in Brian Head just a stone’s throw from the Giant Steps Lodge at Brian Head Resort.

“The more snow the better,” said Johnson, knowing it’s her first winter season after opening the soup and sandwich shop in the summer. “I thought, well our business a lot of time depends on how much snow or if we get snow and we’ve started out with an early ski season so I’m happy about that.”

As for staff gearing up for the eager skiers and riders to decent on Friday, as of Wednesday, the grounds were covered with employees working to get all facets of the mountain operational and at full speed in 48-hours time.

“Every department is all hands on deck, let’s get this done,” said Ken Jenson, Lift Operations Manager with nearly three decades of experience at Brian Head Resort. He has over 30 members of his ‘lift crew’ that he oversees. A new express lift for the 2019/2020 season will service the Navajo Beginner area.

Jenson relies on off-season preparatory work to get the winter campaign off without a hitch. “There is a lot of work and it starts in the summer there’s a heavy maintenance schedule on all these chairlifts,” he said.

“It’s a huge undertaking to get a resort up and operating whether it’s just for the day or for the season,” said Wilder.

BRIAN HEAD, Utah— Days before opening day at Brian Head Resort, a storm has brought several inches of snow to the Souther Utah ski resort.

The resort saw 8 to 10 inches of snow overnight, with even more snow coming down throughout the day, Wednesday. The storm is expected to bring between one to two feet of snow to the mountain.

As crews prepare for opening day Friday, snowfall in Southern Utah helped snowmakers cover the mountain.

Temperatures between zero and mid-twenty degrees are ideal conditions for snowmaking, with the help of the additional natural snow, the resort is prepared for Friday.

The slow-moving storm is making its way to Northern Utah where colder weather and possibly snow can be expected in some areas.

Many parts of Utah experienced winter weather Wednesday, with more snow in the forecast.

Even the areas that didn’t see snow, should start preparing, UDOT spokesperson John Gleason said.

“Across the state right now there are crews that are out there putting down the brine solution, they are putting down salt, but here on the Wasatch Front we are really looking at next Monday as kind of that big day that everybody here is going to feel the effects of winter,” Gleason said.

This is the time of year people need to do their part, Gleason said.

“We need people to slow down. Even if you don’t see snow on the roads, there is a chance there’s black ice so just slow down and drive with caution,” he said.

Last winter season, UDOT put down more than 205,000 tons of salt on Utah roads, according to Gleason. A statewide winter snowstorm will cost UDOT about $1 million. Last year, UDOT spent more than $30 million on snow removal. This year, Gleason said UDOT budgeted more than $24.5 million.

It can be scary out on the roads on snowy days, William MacDonald, Owner Big Dig Property Management said.

“It can be really dangerous especially the first couple snows, because I think people are just pushing through it, not too worried about it and don’t think its that dangerous,” he said.

MacDonald was busy plowing snow Wednesday but he knows this was just a taste of what’s to come.

“It’s still not too much snow, so it’s melting pretty fast,” he said.

MacDonald loves the snow, but he is cautious when driving in it. A few years back he said he was in a wintery multi-car pile up.

“When I was in that multi-car pile up, the few cars that were in the front were driving. They were playing around, they were driving crazy and it’s like this is serious when you can get in an accident and get hurt and multiple people did get hurt that day,” he said.

Now, he said he is more careful on the snow days.

Gleason said next week is when crews are really preparing for winter weather, possibly across the state. The added holiday travel is also something UDOT is preparing for.

PARK CITY, Utah—As the snow begins to fall across many parts of Utah, ski resorts are preparing to welcome skiers and snowboarders.

Some resorts have already started up the chairlifts, and Friday Park City Mountain will join that list.

“There is nothing more to be thankful for sometimes than a little early Thanksgiving snow,” Jessica Miller, Communications Manager at Park City Mountain said.

While the fresh snow is wonderful, Miller said Park City Mountain has the largest snowmaking operation of any resort in Utah and they are prepared to open. The snowmaking machines were blowing Thursday. The taste of winter weather in October was also helpful, Miller said.

“We got some really great low temps in October and our expert snowmakers were able to get out there, work really hard and blow some snow,” she said.

The resort was busy Thursday as people prepared for the big opening day. Park City teenagers Rafe Danos and William Sangster were out scoping out the area before opening day. The friends are hoping to snag the prized ‘first chair’ spot Friday morning.

“Last year, we had a couple friends who went to the high school with us who are known for getting it, I don’t know, maybe the fourth year in a row. So we were like, ‘ Man, we’ve got to go early,” Sangster said. The duo camped out for three days last year just for the spot. This year with their competition off at college, they say they will only stay Thursday night.

It’s worth the wait, Danos said.

“Last year we were here for three days before camping out. And then when we finally got on the chair, skis above the snow it was amazing,” he said.

The addition of fresh snow is an added bonus, Sangster said.

“It’s just so happy to look out and see all the snow,” he said.

Fresh snow is good for business, as well, Abby Brock, Marketing and Public relations manager Sundance Resort, said.

“Mother nature really helps us thrive by bringing us the snow because more snow does equal more people,” she said.

It was an exciting day to see the snow falling, Brock said.

For a full list of opening dates for ski resorts, click here.

ODGEN, Utah—It may not technically be winter, but it certainly looked like and felt like it in Ogden Wednesday. 

The neighborhoods were filled with children building snowmen and having snowball fights as parents shoveled away the snow from the walkways. Employees were busy adding salt to the sidewalks to avoid falls. Most people didn’t seem to mind the snow or cold. 

“I love it. It makes me feel at home,” Brandon Harris, who lives in Ogden, said. 

Others, would rather stay inside and watch the snow from the warmth of a coffee shop, like Coffee Links in Ogden. 

“I like a nice warm drink when it’s snowing out,” barista Eric Bond said. 

Several people came through the coffee shop in downtown Ogden to get a warm drink and take a quick break from the snow.

The biggest, and only real complaint, people seemed to have about the snow was the roads. Wondering if the roads will be clear, was something on Harris’ mind. 

“I’m just kind of worried that they’re [snow plows] not going to get out there really enough because we are going to be driving early,” he said 

A spokesperson for UDOT said there are 530 snowplows across the state all ready to go if need be. Most plows will be moving snow around the clock through the storm, as long as the conditions are safe. 

SALT LAKE CITY — A snowstorm is moving through northern Utah and it could affect commuters Monday morning, particularly those north of Salt Lake City.

The Utah Department of Transportation reports the storm is affecting the I-15 corridor and it’s moving south.

“Road snow accumulations are expected across northern valley and mountain routes from the Idaho border south along the northern Wasatch. Greatest road snow impacts are expected from North Salt Lake/Bountiful and northwards,” a posting on UDOT’s website said.

UDOT reports the following routes will experience weather-related travel concerns during the forecast period:

• I-15, ID border through Beaver
• I-84, Entire route.
• I-80, Grantsville and eastward.
• I-70, I-15 junction to Salina Summit (MP 80 – MP 88)
• US-40, I-80 Junction through Fruitland.
• US-89, ID border to Panguitch
• SR-190 Big Cottonwood Canyon
• SR-210 Little Cottonwood Canyon

The National Weather Service reports snow is already sticking to roads in Park City and Parleys Canyon.

Drivers going into canyon and mountain routes should be prepared for chain restrictions.

Watch FOX 13 for updates.