Break out those snow boots and ice scrapers: Cedar City is finally about to see some snow.
This winter has been notoriously dry, even going long enough without snow to claim the title of second latest snowfall in Cedar City’s recorded history, with the latest snowfall occurring on Jan. 8, 1977.
That’s all about to change starting Wednesday night when a brisk winter storm is expected to move into the area. The Interstate 15 corridor, from Cedar City and north to Nephi, is forecast to receive approximately 4-8 inches of snow, according to meteorologist Christine Kruse with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City.
The storm will continue into Thursday morning. While it will be short, Kruse predicted it will be powerful. It will likely lead to a large accumulation of snow, creating unsafe winter driving conditions throughout the night — especially on the I-15.
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“It’s definitely one of those storms where it’s going to be a burst of higher intensity snow instead of dribbling on for days,” she explained.
Washington County can also expect to see a few flakes. St. George will receive less than an inch, while higher elevation areas will likely see more.
The winter storm is expected to move out of the area just as quickly as it rolled in. The heaviest snow will hit Wednesday evening and Thursday morning before turning into rain showers.
The freezing temperatures will remain as a very cold air mass builds over large portions of the west, Kruse said. Cedar City will see a high of 31 on Saturday and 25 on Sunday. NWS models show the conditions will remain relatively dry, though, which means the area will likely not see any additional snow after that first storm.
There’s still little chance of a white Christmas across Southern Utah. Cold temperatures will keep the snow on the ground, but the moisture will instead head toward the north and northeast. Travelers headed to northern Utah, Colorado and Wyoming should plan for winter driving conditions on Dec. 23 and 24.
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Historically, Cedar City sees approximately 15.5 inches of snow by the end of the December. There has been zero measurable snow so far this year.
Kruse explained this is well in line with the La Nina pattern where Utah tends to remain relatively dry. Southern Utah receives little snow in this pattern as the dry line lies right along the border of Arizona and Utah.
“Typically what happens is high pressure builds over the eastern pacific, California and Nevada,” she said. “The storm tracks skims across northern Utah as southern Utah tends to stay dry because it’s removed from that storm path.”
The pattern is expected to remain in place for the next 10 days.
Follow reporter Bree Burkitt, @BreeBurkitt. Call her at 435-218-2241.