First day of fall: what can Utah expect in the forecast?
Sep 23, 2019, 2:29 PM
Utah mountains covered in fall golds, near Sundance. This year, the color may be a little delayed, but expect it to pop soon. Photo: Getty Images
SALT LAKE CITY — On this first day of fall 2019, meteorologists getting a look at models for the next three months say we can expect a slightly warmer than normal autumn with about an even chance of having normal precipitation.
“Our normal during the months of October, November, December, we get 4.5 inches of water, and 22 inches of snow,” said KSL Meteorologist Kevin Eubank.
If we get to pick, Eubank says, he’d like to see more precipitation rather than less this fall.
“You really want a wet fall, so you can prep the soil, get it ready, so that when the snow comes, it stays, and fills up the reservoirs in the spring,” he said.
He says if it goes like last year, we’ll get a lot of rain in the valleys and snow higher up. When will that happen?
“Our first snowfall on average in Salt Lake City is in the first part of November,” Eubank said.
Meanwhile, the fall colors are starting to pop in the high elevations. But Eubank says for many trees, particularly south of the Wasatch Front, the color change is a little behind.
“Southern Utah isn’t quite seeing the fall leaves color we’ve seen in the past. Even in the Cottonwoods high elevations, Guardsman’s Pass, Alpine Loop, it’s a little delayed,” he said. “So, the next two weeks we should see a big color burst.”
