Warm temperatures for the first half of the week, then colossal drop in temperatures and valley rain, mountain snow

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Utah! Today will be about as warm as yesterday with temperatures still 10-15 degrees above seasonal norms. Most valleys will be in the low 80s with a few upper 70s, higher elevations will top out in the low to mid 70s, and hot spots will see upper 80s to low 90s. Conditions stay dry as well with only a few clouds spawning here and there and the occasional light afternoon mountain shower.

This pattern stays consistent through Tuesday, but major changes start by midweek. On Wednesday a strong cold front will be approaching from the northwest bringing warm gusty southerly winds ahead of it, bumping highs up slightly — the “warm before the storm.” The dry conditions, heat, and gusty winds are recipes for an elevated fire risk. We already have several active fires, including the Yellow Lake Fire which has ballooned to over 30,000 acres making it the largest of the year. Keep your eyes peeled for Red Flag Warnings as we near Wednesday. As the cold front ushers in more moisture through the north on Wednesday evening we’ll have an increase in cloud coverage.

Thursday is when we see the dramatic change in our pattern. Mostly cloudy skies with widespread rain showers are likely to impact most of the state, especially in the north. We expect temperatures to tank into the low 60s for the Wasatch Front and 50s for the Wasatch Back. It should be cold enough to see morning snow in the Uinta Mountains. The southernmost parts of the state will have to wait an extra day for the big cooldown. But it gets even colder!

Between Wednesday and Friday we’ll go from 10-15° above average to 10-15° below average, a 20-30° drop in just two days! On Friday and Saturday morning, the valleys could be dropping to the low 40s and mid 30s while higher terrain could sink to the upper 20s. It’s far out to make an accurate snow prediction, but as of right now, models put snow as low as 6,000 feet with accumulation likely above 6,500 feet. For reference, Park City is at 7,500 feet. There’s a slight chance some of the higher benches could have their first rain/snow mix of the season as well, but don’t get too excited, it’s still a ways away and things could change.

We’ll update you with the latest developments in our 4Warn Weather forecast both on-air and online, we are Good4Utah!

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