Snow and a cold front are coming to Utah, but when and where?

SALT LAKE CITY — The dry and mild weather of the last few days is coming to an end in the form of a cold front.

Snow is on the way to Utah’s mountaintops, heralded by the cold front moving in on Tuesday.

That front will move slowly through the state and last through Thursday according to National Weather Service Senior Meteorologist Monica Traphagan. It’s expected to drop temperatures by as much as 20 degrees below the seasonal average.

Traphagan also said there will be scattered rainfall in the valleys over the next few days, with temperatures in the low 50s.

Snow? Snow!

There could also be early-season snowfall Tuesday and Wednesday in the northern Utah mountains. If it falls, it will be in the western Uinta and Alta mountain ranges. 

“Four to eight inches for the upper Cottonwoods and the Uinta mountains, and then some accumulations for mountain valley locations as well,” Traphagan said.

Road Weather Alert: Northern Utah mountain road snow expected at times from Wednesday morning through Thursday evening. Highest concern for road snow will be Thursday morning. For more info, visit: https://t.co/5u8jgutj1o #utwx #utsnow@UtahTrucking pic.twitter.com/CYmiAcemun

— UDOT Traffic (@UDOTTRAFFIC) October 10, 2023

Most of the precipitation will fall Wednesday night into Thursday morning.

And no, this early-season snowfall is not unusual for this time of the year in Utah. 

“Our snow started a bit earlier than usual, but it’s not super uncommon,” Traphagan said. “We’re getting into October, the leaves are changing, we’re in the transition season.

“So, it is the time to see snow in the high elevations.” 

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• Utah’s fall colors are moving down in elevation