The weather patterns of late have not been particularly friendly to Utah skiers and snowboarders. Our auspicious start to December is now firmly in the rearview mirror of Santa’s sleigh. The past week was dry and mild along the Wasatch Back. While the on-piste conditions have held up well, anything off the trails was thinner and crustier than the Grinch.
We are now entering the holiday period. Typically, this is when we start to see Park City blossom into its best version of itself — the storybook winter wonderland ski town. Surely, locals and visitors alike are hoping for fresh snow to add to the festive ambiance. On that front, I have good news!
A few days ago, I would have said that any appreciable snow leading up to Christmas was unlikely. However, somebody was obviously on the “nice list” because several factors are coming together over the next few days to bring us a chance for accumulating snow this weekend.
First, a cutoff low-pressure system is spinning off the California coast. That is going to feed moisture into Utah for the middle of this week. Scattered showers will be possible through Wednesday with generally mild temperatures.
That means snow accumulations should be confined to the highest elevations, and likely only an inch or two.
As we head into the weekend, this same cutoff low-pressure system is going to pass through the desert southwest to our south.
At the same time, another storm will be dropping into Utah out of the northwest. On its own, this system from the northwest would be quite weak with some cold air, but limited moisture. But by the grace of Rudolph, this northerly storm is going to tap into moisture from the system to our south.
The combination of these two systems should be enough for Utah mountains to see snow this weekend, including Summit County. While this is not a “big” storm by typical Utah standards, forecast weather models are starting to suggest that at least 4-8 inches of new snow will be possible Saturday into Sunday in the mountains, with several inches possible in town.
I am aware that not everybody loves snow to the extent I do, but it would truly take a Grinch to not appreciate fresh snow falling in the days leading up to Christmas. There is no question that additional snow will benefit the area recreationally and economically as we head into peak ski season.
On that note, let us be merry and celebrate this gift we are receiving this weekend. Happy holidays to all!
For up-to-date forecasts, you can subscribe to Evan’s Utah Daily Snow forecast on OpenSnow.com and the OpenSnow app.
