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After taste of spring, winter-like conditions return to Utah bringing rain and snow

(Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune) Umbrellas were a good call Thursday morning April 12 as a Spring storm dumped snow flurries and rain. Beneficial for the blooming daffodils and tulips in front of the Beehive House in downtown Salt Lake City.

  | April 12, 2018, 4:06 p.m.
| Updated: 5:38 p.m.

After tasting spring-like temperatures and mild weather, a cold front returned winter-like conditions to Utah on Thursday morning, bringing a rain-snow mix to much of the state.

Precipitation that began Thursday — bringing a rain and snow to the Wasatch Front — is expected to continue through Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

But temperatures will rise during the weekend before another Pacific storm cools them down again, likely on Monday.

A hazardous weather outlook for the western two-thirds of the state warned of rain that would “quickly” change to snow in the valleys Thursday morning, the NWS said, “though these accumulations will have minimal impact of travel” through the night.

Valley floors were expected to receive light accumulations on grassy surfaces, the NWS said, with one to three inches on mountain benches.

Snow showers were predicted to continue Friday for areas with higher terrain, and lake enhanced snow showers in the Salt Lake and Tooele valleys Friday morning are possible, the NWS said.

Heavy snow was expected in the upper Cottonwood canyons, bringing accumulations of eight to 16 inches to the Wasatch Mountains south of Interstate 80. A winter storm warning advised travelers to beware of slick roads and reduced visibility.

Chains were required in Big and Little Cottonwood canyons, according to the Utah Department of Transportation.

Snow accumulations of five to 10 inches were also predicted for Utah’s central and southern mountains and mountains north of I-80, according to the NWS, beginning about noon Thursday and continuing until noon Friday.

High wind warnings were in place for most of the state Thursday until about noon for west central and southwest Utah, 9 p.m. in southern Utah, midnight in the Salt Lake City area, and 6 a.m. Friday in the Great Salt Lake Desert and western Uinta Basin area.

Temperatures in the Salt Lake and Tooele valleys were expected to range from highs near 50 to lows in the lower 30s on Thursday. Friday morning will bring a chance of snow showers in the morning with that likelihood decreasing in the afternoon. Highs will reach the upper 40s and drop into the lower 30s Friday night.

The St. George area is expected to experience highs in the upper 60s Thursday and lows in the mid-40s Thursday night. Friday will be sunny with highs in the mid-60s and lows at about 40 degrees.