Utah Daily Snow

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By Evan Thayer, Forecaster Posted 1 year ago January 26, 2023

Modest Weekend Storms

Summary

Cool temperatures heading into the weekend as additional systems move into Utah bringing chances for accumulation snow and reinforcing shots of cold air. We should see a drier period again to start February.

Short Term Forecast

We've seen additional weak impulses ripple through over the past 24 hours, bringing some periods of light snow. Another 1-2" generally accumulated across most mountains since yesterday's report. This snow is offering light refreshes but is very low in moisture content, so is doing little to help our snowpack. Yesterday, even 9" in LCC skied like a lot less because it was so low density that you immediate sunk to the bottom. It was pure feathers and finding groomer beneath the fresh snow was key. 

We will remain cool today into Friday. Clouds increase again tonight into early Friday with snow developing in the far north during the morning and spreading into the Wasatch by afternoon. This storm will continue into Friday night before clearing for Saturday. It's not strong and will favor areas farther north. Here is the GFS 24-hour QPF for the system:

You can see that the best snow generally extends to about I-80, with highest totals up in the Bear River range (Cherry Peak/Beaver Mtn) where 4-8" is possible. In the Central Wasatch, I think a general 2-6" is the best bet by Saturday morning. 

We should get a break late Saturday into Saturday night before the next storm moves in on Sunday. This is a trough that will dig deeper to our west and send moisture into Utah. This time, the entire state sees precip with higher totals farther south:

Still not huge, but with cold air, it will accumulate fast on Sunday into Sunday night. Perhaps 6-12" of fluff. The GFS for the Cottonwood Canyons reflects each storm well:

You can see about 7.5" from the first storm and then another foot or so from the second. Of course, this is one run of one model. The GEFS ensembles generally support this idea though with over an inch of liquid through Monday:

Similar story in the EPS:

For riding purposes, I think Saturday morning will be good for some light powder in Northern Utah. Then, I think Sunday will get better throughout the day as snow falls. These storms are not big by any means and are not going to do amazing things to boost snowpack, but we already have an impressive base so refreshes like this are quite nice this time of year. 

Extended Forecast

We should dry out again next week. We may even see temperatures warm toward the end of the week with high pressure in control, although inversions will be possible. Eventually, another trough should move into the west around February 6th or 7th. You can see that in the below metoegrams:

We will just have to wait and see. Models aren't showing any crazy clear signal for ridging or storminess so beyond the first week of February is a bit of a mystery right now. 

Evan | OpenSnow

About Our Forecaster

Evan Thayer

Forecaster

To Evan, 'The Greatest Snow on Earth' is more than just a motto - it’s a way of life. In 2010, he started Wasatch Snow Forecast as a way to share the best powder days with his fellow snow-lovers. Evan brings the same quality forecasts and weather discussions to OpenSnow and hopes you enjoy skiing/riding Utah as much as he does.

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