SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Midweek moisture arrives as a sloppy winter storm moves into northern and central Utah overnight, creating tricky travel conditions for the Wednesday morning commute, especially along the northern Wasatch Front.

Winter weather advisories issued by the National Weather Service go into effect Tuesday night for the Wasatch mountains, Western Uintas, Wasatch Plateau, the central mountains, Wasatch Back, and the Northern Wasatch Front, but these winter alerts don’t include Salt Lake, Tooele or Utah counties.

ABC4 chief meteorologist Alana Brophy said counties left out of the advisories are likely to see a different precipitation type, with snow quickly changing to rain — or even only rain. The advisories are slated to last through early Thursday.

UDOT is advising drivers to expect periods light road snow or slush as the first wave of the storm hits Utah overnight and into the morning hours along the Wasatch Front. Mountain routes are expected to see periods of moderate to heavy road snow Wednesday, which could make travel difficult.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s rain or snow, you will be dealing with some type of wet road. This first wave will be a bit more wintry, so make sure you give yourself some extra time,” Brophy said. “You know it’s going to be sloppy out there, so plan for it.”

The storm system is also expected to drop another helping of fresh powder on the mountains. Anywhere between 8 to 16 inches could stack up through Thursday morning.

Avalanche danger has remained high since the weekend, and another fresh hit of snow will likely keep the risk through the midweek.

Timing

The first wave of the storm is on track to enter northern Utah early Wednesday morning, bringing snow to the Wasatch Front and mountains.

This storm will drag in slightly warmer temperatures so while some northern valleys will see snow, there is a chance that some will see mostly rain, Brophy said. By daybreak, there’ll likely be scattered showers across the northern half of the Beehive State.

The second wave of the storm looks to hit Wednesday afternoon and into the evening, with warmer air creating the chance for rain or a wintry mix along the entire Wasatch Front, or just straight rain in the valleys of Salt Lake, Tooele and Utah counties, as well as the valleys of central Utah.

“It’s January, so you expect straight snow events in Utah, with cold air and accumulation,” Brophy said. “This storm allows for warmer air to take over and deliver rain, but we have cold pools in place, so we are going to see a variety of precipitation types through Thursday morning.”

Snowfall Potential

From late Tuesday through Thursday, the healthiest accumulations will be found in the northern mountains, as most will likely land between 8 to 14 inches, Brophy said. In the Cottonwoods, a foot and-a-half of snow could stack up.

Mountain valleys could see between 4 to 8 inches of snow with up to 10 inches for isolated areas. The central mountains will likely see 3 to 7 inches, Brophy said.

Northern valleys will be a bit trickier given the temperatures. For the southern Wasatch Front, mostly rain might fall, but up to a few inches could accumulate, especially on the benches.

From Weber County northward, including Cache Valley, 2 to 6 inches of snow looks possible, Brophy said.

By Thursday afternoon the chance of any wet weather comes to an end as calmer conditions with slightly above average temperatures take hold through the end of the workweek.

Looking Ahead

A quieter pattern looks to take hold toward the end of the work week, but again, the calm conditions might be short-lived.

The 4Warn Weather team is monitoring what could be a statewide weekend storm event, with early projections setting up incoming moisture as a valley rain and mountain snow even throughout Utah.

It’s not a sure bet, so make sure you stay tuned as the storms evolve in the coming days.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.