It doesn’t look like it outside on Tuesday, but springlike weather is on the way. According to the National Weather Service, it’ll be here this weekend.
But first, records for the coldest April 4 on record in Salt Lake City are expected to be broken.
Utah is in the grips of yet another major winter storm, and snow is piling up. As of early Tuesday, totals included:
Snowbird • 35 inches.
Alta • 34 inches.
Canyon Village • 29 inches.
Summit Park • 22.5 inches.
Solitude • 18 inches.
Powder Mountain • 17 inches.
Snowbasin • 17 inches.
Park City Mountain Resort • 16 inches.
Woodruff • 16 inches.
Sandy • 15.4 inches.
Magna • 15 inches.
Logan • 13 inches.
Ogden • 12 inches.
Eden • 11.7 inches.
Mantua • 11.2 inches.
Hyrum • 9.5 inches.
Bountiful bench • 9.2 inches.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Austin Bingham operates a snow blower to clear his family's driveway in Mountain Green on Monday, April 3, 2023.
Big Cottonwood Spruces • 9 inches.
Provo Canyon • 9 inches.
Tooele • 9 inches.
Wellsville • 9 inches.
Kaysville • 8.5 inches.
North Salt Lake • 8 inches.
Sundance • 8 inches,
Salt Lake International Airport • 7.5 inches.
Fruit Heights • 7.4 inches.
Grantsville • 7 inches.
South Weber • 7 inches.
Springville • 7 inches.
West Valley City • 7 inches.
Woodland Hills • 7 inches.
Salt Lake City • 6.5 inches.
Cedar Fort • 6 inches.
Heber City • 6 inches.
Manti • 6 inches.
Springville • 6 inches.
(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mounds of snow pile up around homes in Mountain Green on Monday, April 3, 2023.
When will the snow stop?
Keep in mind that the storm was far from over when these totals were reported. A winter storm warning remains in effect over much of Utah until 6 p.m. Tuesday, and snow is expected to continue in many areas Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, with a few more inches expected.
The storm made a mess of the Tuesday morning commute, with dozens of crashes and slide-offs. The Jordan School District announced it was going to online classes, and other districts — including Granite and Murray — delayed the start of classes by two hours. And the Utah Department of Transportation advised drivers to “consider delaying your commute if possible by a couple hours,” or work from home, if possible.
Because of the snow and avalanche danger, State Road 210 is closed from the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon to Snowbird, and was not expected to reopen on Tuesday, according to UDOT.
According to the Utah Avalanche Center, avalanche danger is “high” in the mountains near Salt Lake, Logan, Ogden, Provo and in the Uintas and Skyline area, and the danger is “considerable” in the Moab area.
Temperatures remain shockingly low for the beginning of April. The Salt Lake City area’s forecast highs on Tuesday and Wednesday are 30-32 degrees — about 30 degrees below normal. The overnight low on Tuesday night is expected to be 17, with a wind chill of 9.
Cold records could be set — the coldest April 4 on record was a high of 37 in 1918; the record low was 20 in 1955.
The coldest April 5 on record in Salt Lake City saw a high of 33 in 1921; the record low was 15 in 1955.
Skies will clear and temperatures will begin rising on Thursday, with forecast highs in the low 40s. It’ll be about 50 on Friday, 53 on Saturday and 58 on Sunday — just short of the normal high of 60 degrees this time of year.
Follow @ScottDPierce