(Steve Griffin, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – That’s right it’s April, but snow is still on the way which will impact the morning commute for drivers.
The rain you saw falling Tuesday afternoon is expected to shift to snow in the overnight hours according to KSL Meteorologist Dan Guthrie.
“Keep in mind ground temperatures have been well above freezing for the last couple of days,” Guthrie said. “The best potential to see snow on the roads to actually impact the commute is going to be south and southeast of the Great Salt Lake. So, Tooele Valley, Salt Lake Valley, and up into Davis County.”
He says once you get south of the Point of the Mountain you won’t see as much from the lake effect. He says this also applies to drivers north of Layton or Farmington.
“Everyone is going to have the potential to see a couple of inches on the grassy surfaces,” Guthrie said. “Roadways, again the spots I just mentioned (Tooele Valley, Salt Lake Valley, and into Davis County) have the best potential to see slush or actual road snow.”
He says drivers should plan to leave early as it will impact the morning commute.
KSL Meteorologist Grant Weyman said overall it is looking like a “big storm” and the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning from Cache County south to Washington County.
Mountain areas could see 1-2 feet of snow as well.
“High valleys like Park City, Heber City and the Wasatch back could see several inches — 4 to 9 inches,” Weyman said.
As of 5 PM, Big and Little Cottonwood canyons restricted vehicles to chains or 4-wheel drive. UDOT says expects that to remain in place until 10:30 PM Tuesday.
Little Cottonwood Canyon will also be closed for avalanche control from 5:30-8 AM Wednesday.
Guthrie said the temperature will rise a little to see a rain-snow mix and he says it is looking like the winds will die down Wednesday afternoon and “shower intensity will really start to fall off”.