This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Posted: 1:09 PM- With Thanksgiving stragglers still heading home, a potent winter storm will whip over the state this week with the potential of dropping 8 to 10 inches in the valley.
But snow isn't the only thing falling. Temperatures, too, are expected to plunge below freezing, reaching the single digits by mid-week.
The National Weather Service has issued a heavy snow warning for the Wasatch and Uinta mountains, the Wasatch Plateau and Book Cliff region. Forecasters predict a sizable storm - capable of clogging up traffic and creating super ski conditions - between early Monday and noon Wednesday
While motorists might see a dusting of snow during Monday's morning commute, lead forecaster Pete Wilensky said the real dumping will begin about 5 p.m. - just in time for the drive home.
Forecasters can't say for sure how much snow will fall that first day, but Wilensky predicted that 3 to 6 inches will accumulate on the valley floor in a matter of hours.
"It will come down real heavily and stick to the road," he said. "It definitely will impact travel late Monday."
The snow comes on the heels of the Thanksgiving holiday, in which 240,000 Utahns were expected to travel by car, according to the travel services group AAA Utah. Most were expected to return by Sunday night, but spokeswoman Cynthia Harris said the holiday traffic inevitably spills into Monday and Tuesday.
While the storm might have had a more profound effect if it had struck a day earlier, Harris said traffic is bound to be heavier than usual as the stragglers return home.
"There is all sorts of potential for risk here," she said.
The National Weather Service said snow accumulations could reach 10 inches on the valley floor by Wednesday. Meteorologist expect 1 to 3 feet in the mountains.
"The skiers are probably salivating right now," Wilensky said.
The storm is expected to sweep the entire state, dropping snow as far south as Kanab. It probably won't stick in the Dixie region, but the National Weather Service said the system will signal a deep-freeze for every Utah county.
Temperatures will hover in the lower 40s for the Wasatch Front on Monday, then drop overnight into the upper teens. The valley won't escape freezing until Friday, with highs in the upper 20s and lows dropping into the single digits by Wednesday when the clouds clear.
Down in Dixie, temperatures will drop into the 40s this week. The National Weather Service predicts overnight lows in the 20s by Tuesday and Wednesday.
Wilensky said Utahns better finish their outdoor chores, because the state is about to get "bitterly cold."