1-2 wintry punch — 3rd on its way

Wintry weather is walloping Utah again, only a few days after its opening punch of the season.

The moisture is welcome, considering the state's extreme drought conditions. And yet, according to KSL chief meteorologist Mark Eubank, it's not the snow totals that are surprising with this storm but rather the temperatures.

"We went from September to January weather almost overnight," he said. "It's January-like cold."

Pete Wilensky, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service forecast office in Salt Lake City, agreed.

"We're well below normal," he said. "We went from well above to well below (normal) in about a week."

Salt Lake went from 73 degrees Wednesday to the 30s in just 24 hours.

The normal high for this time of year is 52 degrees. But it was only 38 for a high Monday, with a low of 32, in Salt Lake. Provo had an even lower high at 36.

Eubank said Salt Lake City International Airport normally receives its first snow of the season on about Nov. 14.

Despite the early snow, Eubank is not convinced the weather patterns have changed to wet. For the two previous years, he said, it has been wet in November and then fizzled out the rest of the winter.

Snow fell throughout northern Utah Monday, and icy air was preparing to move in from the west, said Wilensky.

By late Monday, heavy snow warnings were in effect for the northern Wasatch Front, Cache Valley and the southwest mountains.

St. George was dry with 57 for a high and 49 for a low Monday.

Utah Power reported almost 4,800 customers along the Wasatch Front were without electricity Monday evening. Heavy snow brought tree limbs down on power lines, causing outages throughout the area Monday, according to Utah Power spokesman Kimball Hansen.

Utah Power crews have been working to clear limbs from lines since the first wave of storms hit last Thursday. Nearly 30,000 customers have been without power at some point since that time.

The Utah Highway Patrol reported a total of 68 accidents in Salt Lake County by Monday evening, including the morning and afternoon drive in the storm. The crashes were scattered all over the valley, with 11 causing injuries and 50 producing property damage. Driving too fast for the slippery conditions was the universal cause of the accidents.

Snow showers were expected to continue today with accumulation likely, particularly in the mountains. Voters going to the polls in valley areas should find temperatures close to freezing but warm enough that snow should melt if it falls.

For Salt Lake City, the high temperature today should reach the upper 30s. Snow showers should extend from northern Utah to Cedar City, with rain in southwestern Utah.

A third storm system is expected to work its way through Utah sometime today and Wednesday. Then, the weather should dry out some, with a weak high pressure system forming over the Beehive State.

Tonight, the temperature should descend into the upper 20s. On Wednesday, the highs should reach only the mid-30s, and that night will be even colder, in the mid-20s.

Slightly warmer air returns Thursday and Friday, with the predicted high in the mid-40s. Even with the warming trend, that will be colder than usual.

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E-MAIL: bau@desnews.com; lynn@desnews.com

Contributing: Stephen Speckman