What to know as Utah rings in 2026 with more rain, snow in the forecast
Dec 31, 2025, 3:17 PM | Updated: 3:29 pm
An inversion covers the Salt Lake Valley on Dec. 31, 2025, the last day of the year. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — 2026 is forecast to start where 2025 leaves off, with a mix of valley rain — possibly even freezing rain — and mountain snow is expected to impact the state at the beginning of the new year.
This time, a low-pressure system off the Baja California Coast will make the noise, sending Utah waves of moisture primarily on New Year’s Day.
New Year’s storm
New Year’s Eve, Wednesday, will stay closer to Utah’s average, which is chillier than it has been this month. High temperatures along the Wasatch Front may only reach the low 40s, partly because of an inversion that has formed since the last storm, said KSL meteorologist Devan Masciulli.
Evening temperatures will drop into the 30s, but it will be cloudy and mostly dry for many of the events planned for New Year’s Eve.
However, the storm will begin to creep in during the final few hours of 2025. Valley rain and mountain snow are forecast to arrive in southwest Utah by late Wednesday.
“If you’re celebrating the new year in southwestern Utah, you might be having some raindrops fall on you if you’re outdoors,” Masciulli said.
The system will continue to move into other parts of the state in the early hours of New Year’s Day, Thursday. The mixture of rain and snow is projected to be in Utah’s northern half and most of eastern Utah by sunrise.
While valleys will primarily receive rain as the system rolls through Thursday morning, the National Weather Service points out that freezing rain — rain that freezes as it reaches the ground, creating ice — is possible, with the highest probabilities of that occurring in parts of northwest, central and eastern Utah, including near communities like Escalante, Price and Wendover. Motorists are urged to be especially careful when driving in those regions.
Storms will become more scattered by Thursday afternoon, but Masciulli said another band of rain and snow is projected to move across the state by evening and overnight. Some additional showers could linger into early Friday before the system mostly clears out, she added.
Storm accumulations
Most of Utah’s northern, central and southern mountains could end up with 2 to 6 inches by the time it’s over, but some peaks — especially closer to the Conttonwood Canyons and Bear River range — could wind up with closer to a foot of new snow, according to the National Weather Service. One of its models lists Alta with a 56% chance of 8 inches of snow and 15% chance of a foot of snow.
The snow line is expected to be too high for valley or even mountain Wasatch Back communities to collect snow. But it also has the potential to deliver 0.5 to 1 inch or more of precipitation to the Wasatch Front and northern Utah by Friday, as well as up to a half-inch of precipitation to communities in southwest Utah, per KSL Weather models.
Lower totals are expected in other parts of the state. It won’t be the largest storm, but it should provide a nice dose of moisture as most of Utah remains in drought to start 2026. Utah has also struggled to build its snowpack early in the season.
More showers ahead?
New Year’s Day will be warmer across the Wasatch Front, especially in areas where the inversion will be lifted. High temperatures are expected to reach the mid-40s on Thursday, before climbing back into the 50s by the weekend. High temperatures will stay in the 50s across the St. George area before and after the storm.
Another system is expected to impact Utah’s northern half, potentially arriving on Sunday and lingering into Monday. It will also likely be mild enough to produce valley rain and mountain snow.
Full seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online at the KSL Weather Center.
