ST. GEORGE — Winter just doesn’t seem to want to go away in Southern Utah.
Even with a warming trend forecast for later this week, the National Weather Service has issued both a winter storm warning and a freeze warning. The storm alert covers Washington, Iron, Beaver and Kane counties and runs from noon Monday through 6 a.m. Tuesday, while the freeze warning affects the Zion National Park area and extends from 9 p.m. Tuesday through 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Cedar City and to the north and northeast were seeing measurable snowfall Monday afternoon as temperatures dropped below freezing, and the NWS said 5-10 inches could accumulate in Cedar City, Milford and Beaver.
The storm is likely to impact high school sports schedules this week in many areas of Utah. In Cedar City, for example, Tuesday’s scheduled softball and baseball games have been moved to Desert Hills; the Reds have yet to play a home game in either sport this spring due to weather and/or unplayable field conditions.
Travelers should take necessary precautions, especially those traveling north on Interstate 15. If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency, the NWS said.
And according to the Utah Department of Transportation, northbound Interstate 15 was closed at milepost 112 due to crashes and heavy snow at mileposts 112 and 121. Travelers should seek alternate routes and expect delays. Click here for updated road conditions.
Meanwhile, the NWS said the freeze warning applies to Washington, Iron and Kane counties. It focuses more specifically on Zion National Park, where sub-freezing temperatures as low as 26 are possible overnight Tuesday-Wednesday. Additionally, according to the NWS:
There is about a 40% chance of temperatures dropping below 28 degrees on Monday night into Tuesday morning, however, overnight cloud cover will limit this potential Tuesday night, however, will feature cold air, clear skies, and light winds, increasing probability of a hard freeze to about 70%.
The weather service also suggests the following safety tips during the freeze warning:
- Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.
- To prevent freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes they should be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly.
- Those that have in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above-ground pipes to protect them from freezing.
Temperatures in Cedar City could drop into the teens by Wednesday morning but then are expected to increase appreciably to more seasonably 60-plus degrees by the weekend. In St. George, a similar trend is expected, with lows in the high 20s overnight Monday and Tuesday but daytime temperature increase into the 70s by week’s end and 83 by Saturday.
Photo Gallery
Utah Department of Transportation webcam photo of traffic backed up on Interstate 15 northbound due to two snow-related crashes Monday, April 3, 2023 | Photo courtesy of UDOT, St. George News Area shaded gray is forecast to be impacted by the National Weather Service freeze warning, April 3, 2023 | Chart courtesy of National Weather Service, St. George News Snow falls on downtown Cedar City Monday afternoon. The National Weather Service predicted 5-10 inches for Cedar City, Beaver and Milford, April 3, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, Cedar City News/St. George News Car covered with snow shows accumulation in Cedar City Monday, April 3, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News Snow falls on downtown Cedar City Monday afternoon. The National Weather Service predicted 5-10 inches for Cedar City, Beaver and Milford, April 3, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, Cedar City News/St. George News Snow falls in downtown Cedar City Monday afternoon. The National Weather Service predicted 5-10 inches for Cedar City, Beaver and Milford, April 3, 2023 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News/St. George News
