Winter storm watch issued as more wind, snow expected in Utah

A winter storm watch has been issued for Utah’s mountains, where 1-2 feet of snow is expected this week — and as much as 3 feet is possible in some areas.

The storm watch will be in effect from 5 a.m. Tuesday until 11 a.m. Wednesday. Snow is expected to begin late Monday, and it will be heavy at times, especially late Tuesday. Traction restrictions could be put into effect through mountain passes.

The valleys will be turning white as well. Snow is expected in Salt Lake City this week — somewhere between 6-12 inches could accumulate, according to the National Weather Service.

But first, wind: The Salt Lake Valley and some central valleys are under a wind advisory most of Monday, with gusts of up to 55 mph possible. Winds are expected to diminish Monday night.

On Sunday, Rocky Mountain Power put out an alert that it would be monitoring for weather-related outages. An outage early Monday in Salt Lake City affected about 6,500 customers, including the Gateway shopping and office complex downtown. Power was restored at the Gateway by about 10 a.m.

In the state’s western valleys, a high wind warning is in effect Monday until 7 p.m., extending from Tooele Valley down to Cedar City and including Iron, Millard, Juab and Beaver counties. Wind gusts of up to 65 mph are possible.

Rain is possible early Tuesday, with chance of rain mixed with snow after 11 a.m. in Salt Lake City, but little to no accumulation is expected. The forecast calls for a high of 43.

Overnight Tuesday, the chance of precipitation rises to 90%, with snow accumulations of half an inch or less expected.

Snow is expected Wednesday, with a high of 39 forecast. A mix of rain and snow in Salt Lake City will change to just snow after 11 a.m. An updated forecast from the National Weather Service projects a trace to 5 inches of snow in the Salt Lake City area in the valleys, with higher totals possible on the benches.

The chance of snow falls to 30% on Thursday, when the high will reach about 31 degrees.

Sunny skies are expected on Friday — Veterans Day — but it’ll be cold, with high temperatures near 32.

Rain is expected in southern Utah, and temperatures will drop there, too. The forecast high in St. George is 61 on Tuesday, 50 on Wednesday, 53 on Thursday and 56 on Friday. Sunny skies should return there Thursday.