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Winter storm will make Thanksgiving travel ‘very difficult’ to 'impossible’ in Utah

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Snow falls in Salt Lake City on Monday, Nov. 25, 2019.

  | Nov. 27, 2019, 3:38 p.m.
| Updated: Nov. 28, 2019, 2:03 a.m.

It isn’t going to be easy to get to grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving — or to get home after you’ve eaten the turkey.

Travel in much of Utah will be “very difficult at times” on Thursday and continuing through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service — and that will be in the areas less affected by a major storm that already hit most of the state Wednesday.

During that first round of snow that hit late in the day, roads were slick and high winds blew over at least two semi trucks.

In the higher elevations during the holiday weekend, travel will be “very difficult to impossible.” The weather service advises anyone who has to travel in the state to keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.

There’s a winter storm warning in effect for Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Front through Saturday at 10 a.m. Expect 5-10 inches of snow in the valley, with up to 16 inches on the benches and winds gusting to 40 mph. It’s supposed to storm for more of the day Thursday and slow down by Friday evening.

Daytime temperatures will be in the mid-30s through Sunday, with overnight lows falling from the low 30s on Wednesday and Thursday to the 20s on Friday and the teens on Saturday.

That forecast is the same for Ogden, Tooele, Provo, Logan, Brigham City, Nephi, Wendover and areas in between.

• Park City and Heber City can expect 10-20 inches of snow, with “locally higher amounts” through 10 a.m. Saturday.

• The Wasatch Mountains, including Woodruff, Randolph, Alta, Brighton, Mirror Lake Highway, Scofield, Cove Fort and Fish Lake can expect 1-3 feet of snow, with winds gusting to 45 mph through Saturday at 10 a.m.

• Utah's southern mountains, including Loa, Panguitch and Bryce Canyon, can expect 1-3 feet of snow, with up to 4 feet in some areas and winds gusting to 45 mph through Friday at 5 p.m. Travel is expected to be especially difficult Thursday through Friday morning.

• Southwest and west central Utah, including Delta, Fillmore, Beaver, Cedar City and Milford, can expect 6-14 inches of snow, with more in some areas and winds gusting to 40 mph through 5 p.m. Friday.

• South central Utah, including Duchesne, Roosevelt, Price, Castle Dale, Manti, Richfield, Kanab and Escalante, can expect 4-8 inches of snow through Friday afternoon, mainly above 5,000 feet.