SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Calm weather for Wednesday as high pressure is in control of the forecast. With high pressure in place, this means dry, stable weather and warmer temps for most of the Beehive State this afternoon.
Higher elevations and valleys without inversions could see highs up to 10 degrees warmer than yesterday, running about 5 degrees above normal for this time of year. But for northern Utah valleys dealing with inversions, the warming will be much less noticeable, and some smog is likely to develop.
Mild seasonal day before showers start to move into the state
The good news? This high-pressure system won’t stick around for long. By Thursday morning, it’ll shift east as a quick-moving Pacific storm moves in.
The system will sweep through the state late Thursday afternoon to Friday morning before clearing out by Friday afternoon. Expect mountain snow and a mix of rain and snow in the valleys, but with limited moisture and a short duration, accumulations will be modest.
That said, it should be better than the weak system we saw last Sunday that broke the long-lasting inversions. The northern and central mountain areas could see 2-4 inches of snowfall with lesser amounts along the benches and mountain valleys.
Looking ahead to the weekend, a new ridge will briefly take over on Saturday, bringing another quick dry spell and warm temperatures back above normal. A second storm system looks set to arrive late Saturday, bringing increasing clouds and the potential for precipitation overnight into Sunday morning.
There’s still some uncertainty about how strong this system will be. A weaker scenario means light rain or snow, mostly in the northern mountains, while a stronger one could bring more snow (around 4-8 inches in the mountains) and spread precipitation as far south as the I-70 corridor.
Precipitation in the valleys will likely fall mainly as rain, or a wintry mix, with a changeover to snow possible as most of the moisture has already cleared out. Stay tuned!
We’ll keep you posted on the latest updates in our 4Warn Weather forecast both on-air and online, we are Good4Utah!
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