After months of unseasonably warm temperatures that claimed a ski resort and left the Beehive State short on powder, a winter storm is finally bringing meaningful snowfall to the Salt Lake Valley — and a reprieve for Utah’s ski resorts.
A cold front sweeping across the state is expected to drop between 1 and 4 inches in the valley, the first “real” snowfall of the season, according to Salt Lake City National Weather Service meteorologist Monica Traphagan.
“We expect, across the valley, for this to be the highest accumulations from a storm that we’ve had this season,” Traphagan said.
Snowfall is forecast to peak in the morning and early afternoon, Traphagan said, before tapering off in the evening.
The front was stalled over the Great Salt Lake early Wednesday, but Traphagan said after it moves in, snow will develop quickly and fall heavily at times, with visibility dropping to about a half-mile or less.
Higher up, the totals climb. Traphagan said the foothill benches along the Wasatch Front could receive up to 6 inches, while the Wasatch Mountains are expected to pick up 1 to 2 feet.
Cache Valley is forecast to see 3 to 8 inches, and communities along the Wasatch Back, including Park City, could get 6 to 18 inches.
Lighter, more powdery snow expected
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Snow on the Oquirrh Mountains, seen from the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.
The shift offers a welcome change for a state enduring its worst snowpack on record. It’s also a welcome reprieve for the state’s ski resorts that had a slow start to the season, Traphagan said.
Unlike the denser snow Utah has seen this winter, she said this system is expected to bring lighter, more powdery snow.
“This will be one of the only really good cold systems we’ve had this year that’s accompanied with a lot of moisture,” Trapahagan said. “This will be some of the highest accumulations from the storm we’ve seen for the mountains.”
The snow is already changing plans on the slopes. The first storm system on Tuesday brought more than a foot of snow to the Cottonwood Canyons.
(Megan Banta | The Salt Lake Tribune) People line up for the Payday and Crescent lifts at Park City Mountain Resort as a winter storm dumps snow and lowers visibility in Park City on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026.
Brighton Ski Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon celebrated 17 inches of new snow on its Facebook page Wednesday.
“HOLY SMOKES,” the resort posted. “It snowed more than we thought it would and it’s still going!”
Meanwhile, Solitude Mountain Resort announced on Facebook: “The faucet is ON.”
“We received 2 feet of snow in the last 24 hours, and it’s still coming down!” the resort wrote.
Nordic Valley Resort near Ogden had announced earlier this month it would remain closed through Presidents Day weekend because of low snow, but now plans to reopen Friday, buoyed by a forecast of up to 14 inches, according to the resort’s Facebook page.
‘The recipe for avalanches’
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Snowplows return from clearing Parleys Canyon on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.
The snowfall is also raising concerns for backcountry skiers, according to the Utah Avalanche Center.
The center issued a warning Wednesday, noting that avalanche danger will be high on mid- and upper-elevation slopes facing east through northwest, forecaster Brooke Maushund said.
Maushund said the avalanche risk comes from light snow that has been sitting since January. Over time, this snow weakens, and clear weather makes the layers even more fragile, creating conditions where avalanches are more likely.
“We’re seeing this large storm system that’s going to put upwards of three feet of snow on top of that really weak snow,” Maushund said. “That’s the recipe for avalanches.”
Anyone entering higher elevation should avoid slopes steeper than 30 degrees and carry avalanche rescue equipment, Maushund said.
She also urged drivers to exercise caution in the Cottonwood Canyons.