ST. GEORGE — The Southern Utah five-county region of Washington, Iron, Kane, Garfield and Beaver will find itself under yet another weather warning for the next couple of days.
The National Weather Service has issued both a high wind and winter storm warning for specific areas in these counties, with alerts running Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday evening, Feb. 21-22, according to the National Weather Service.
While these storms have been occurring almost weekly this winter, Hayden Mahan told St. George News in an email that the current weather strand has been normal — for the most part.
“The St. George airport has only reported trace amounts of snow, but areas away from the airport have reported more snow, but all in all St. George hasn’t seen substantially more snowfall than normal, but it has been colder than normal as of late,” Mahan said. “I think the perception of this winter being particularly cold/snowy has been in part due to a recency bias as temperatures more recently have been more anomalous, and some periods of snow have occurred more recently this month.
“Additionally, the entire West has been much more active this winter, especially compared to recent winters. So comparing this winter to the last several would give the perception that something is out of the ordinary, when in reality, the last several years haven’t been very ordinary.”
Southwest winds of 30-40 mph with gusts up to 65 mph are possible in Southwest Utah, South Central Utah, Western Canyonlands and Glen Canyon Recreation Area/Lake Powell, including the cities of Beaver, Cedar City, Milford, Kanab, Escalante, Hanksville, Big Water and Bullfrog.
“High winds may move loose debris, damage property and cause power outages,” an NWS news release said. “Travel could be difficult due to crosswinds, especially for high-profile vehicles and vehicles with trailers. Monitor the latest forecasts and warnings for updates on this situation. Fasten loose objects or shelter objects in a safe location prior to the onset of winds.”
Running concurrently is a winter storm watch calling for 4-8 inches of snow in Beaver, Cedar City and Milford.
“Winter driving conditions are expected across all mountain routes including the Cottonwood Canyons,” the news release said.
The Associated Press reported Sunday that a massive winter storm will push across the northern U.S. in the coming days and could dump several feet of snow at higher elevations and bring dangerously cold temperatures, forecasters said.
The arctic blast will sweep into the Pacific Northwest and then push across the northern Rocky Mountains and onto the Great Plains. It will bring heavy snow and strong winds, the NWS said.
Forecasters issued winter storm warnings and advisories across the region beginning Sunday afternoon. Lesser snowfall amounts were expected at lower elevations.
Temperatures will drop drastically after Tuesday leading to dangerous wind chills, the weather service said.
In St. George, the forecasted high for Tuesday is 61, but the temperature is expected to plummet into the low 30s overnight, with an 80% chance of rain and high winds. These conditions will continue Wednesday with a possible rain-snow mix turning to snow after 8 a.m. A chance of snow with temperatures ranging from the high 20s to the low 40s is expected through Friday.
Cedar City, however, will see a high of 45 on Tuesday and an overnight low of 19, accompanied by south winds of 28-36 mph and a 90% chance of 2-4 inches of snow. An additional accumulation of 3-5 inches is possible Wednesday, with a high of 29 and an overnight low of 13 degrees.
Mahan also said in his email that St. George-area residents should expect temperatures to remain on the cool side for the balance of winter.
“Now after these next two storms, we could be talking about a snowier than normal year for St. George, and temperatures will remain below normal, so we could continue to head into the direction of a cooler winter than normal, ” Mahan said.
Motorists are advised to use caution and TravelWise. Those traversing canyon and mountain routes should be aware Traction Laws may be enforced.
Click here for up-to-date winter road conditions from UDOT or dial 511.
Click here for additional weather information.
Updated 4:45 p.m. Feb. 20, 2023: Adds comments from Hayden Mahan, as well as NWS charts.
Photo Gallery
Weather chart courtesy of National Weather Service, St. George News Shaded area indicates regions impacted by High Wind Warning, Feb. 20, 2023 | Chart courtesy of National Weather Service, St. George News Snow falls in St. George the evening of Feb. 14, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Gerard Dauphinais, St. George News Chart shows temperature data for St. George, Feb. 20, 2023 | Chart courtesy of National Weather Service, St. George News
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