Utah’s northern mountains started the new year off with a bang, as resorts like Snowbasin collected almost another foot of snow during the first two days of 2025.
Even many valley and bench areas from Salt Lake City northward picked up a tenth to a third of an inch of rain from the storm, which wasn’t initially expected to bring much precipitation as it passed through the region. It followed a stormy end of 2024 that greatly benefitted many snowpack basins.
But wait, there’s more.
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory on Friday ahead of another storm system with the potential to deliver up to another foot of snow in the Wasatch and West Uinta mountains over the weekend.
KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson says the storm will likely also produce valley snow, which has been a rarity so far this season.
Warm to snow
Potentially record-breaking warmth is projected ahead of the snow, as a high-pressure system set up south of the Four Corners region pumps air from the Southwest into Utah, Johnson explains.
Salt Lake City is forecast to reach 55 degrees on Friday, which would break its previous daily record of 52 degrees set in 1934. High temperatures will potentially reach the 60s in southwest Utah.
However, Johnson said a cold front coming in from the Pacific Northwest will snap those temperatures as it arrives early Saturday. The system will bring in rain that quickly switches over to snow across parts of central Utah and areas northward.
“We’ve got the mild before the wild,” he said.
Snow is forecast to linger in the mountains as the cold front continues into eastern Utah by Saturday afternoon, while valley showers become more scattered. It’ll have mostly cleared out by Saturday evening, he adds.
Snow accumulations
The storm could deliver another 6 to 12 inches of snow across the Wasatch and West Uinta mountains by early Sunday, the weather service advisory states. The agency released a snow accumulation model that says there’s still a decent chance for higher accumulations, especially in the Cottonwood Canyons.
Federal forecasters note that wind will create blowing snow at times, which is why they urge drivers to slow down and pay attention on roadways. Some traction laws could be implemented along high-elevation roadways.
National Weather Service models state that other mountain areas south of the advisory could receive about 4-8 inches, but the probabilities taper off by southern Utah. Wasatch Back communities could end up with a few inches of snow on Saturday.
Johnson said there’s also a chance it will provide some “good” valley snow accumulation, but not quite as much as the mountains. Many valleys across northern and central Utah could walk away with 1-2 inches of snow, but the range there depends on if and when the rain transitions to snow.
Should the forecast come to fruition, it would prevent Salt Lake City from breaking another weather record. The city has yet to officially receive at least 1 inch of snow from a single storm, making this now the second-latest start to the season. The current record was set on Jan. 6, 1891.
Overall, the storm is projected to deliver another 0.33 to 0.5 inches of precipitation across the Wasatch Front and northern Utah before it clears out.
The rest of the weekend
Sunday is forecast to be cooler and drier along the Wasatch Front, as temperatures remain in the upper 30s and low 40s. Johnson said there’s a chance another small system to pass by early next week, while temperatures don’t change much.
Areas by St. George likely won’t receive much precipitation, if at all this weekend. High temperatures are forecast to remain in the mid-50s, slightly cooler than Friday.
Full seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online, at the KSL Weather Center.