Lake-effect snow is expected to hit parts of the Salt Lake Valley on Friday morning as the first snowstorm of the season continues throughout the state.
Snow will probably fall southeast of the Great Salt Lake, but the National Weather Service can’t pinpoint exactly where.
What had been a winter storm watch is now a winter storm advisory in the northern and central mountains, as well as in the following counties: Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, Weber, Tooele, Cache, Sevier and Sanpete. The advisory is in effect until 4 p.m. Friday.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Whitney walks around Layton Park with her son Caleb and her dog Lady, Dec. 9, 2021. A winter storm that arrived in Utah Thursday is expected to bring more snow to valleys and mountains on Friday.
The storm, which began Thursday morning, is expected to affect travel across the state. Drivers should expect slush, ice and blowing snow on Interstates 15 and 70, state highways and surface streets. Winter conditions may make driving “very difficult” at times, particularly in mountain passes and higher elevations.
Between one and three inches of snow are expected to fall overnight, the National Weather Service reported. Snow will mostly come down before 11 a.m. and could be heavy at times. Friday’s high is forecasted near 31 with a chance of 3 to 5 inches of snow accumulating at Salt Lake City International Airport throughout the day.
Snow started falling in Utah’s mountains early Thursday and turned the valleys white. It began in Logan and reached the Salt Lake International Airport by mid-morning.
Thursday marked the first measurable snowfall in Salt Lake City in the last 259 days, according to the National Weather Service. That is the fourth-longest streak without snow on record and the fifth latest snow of the season.
Alta Ski Resort received 14 inches of snow, while 13 inches fell at Solitude Ski Resort as of 4 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. On the benches, the Bountiful Bench received 3 inches. The National Weather Service reported that 2.5 inches fell in Fort Union, the most of any city in the Salt Lake Valley.
According to the Utah Avalanche Center, the storm has upped the avalanche danger from low to moderate in the mountains near Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo, Logan and Moab. It remains low in the Uinta Mountains.