UTAH LAKE — Extreme weather conditions along the Wasatch Front have caused ice to appear on Utah Lake’s shoreline. There was so much ice that Vineyard City Streets and Stormwater crews had to use a backhoe and excavator to move it away from their facilities on Vineyard Beach.
“I think the number one thing we wanted to do was protect our infrastructure down there and public safety,” said Chris Thomas, Streets and Stormwater Manager for Vineyard City.
FOX 13 News reached out to Vineyard City after seeing photos of their Streets and Stormwater crews moving the ice were posted to Utah’s Weather Authority Group.
“It's not uncommon to see the ice piles and in fact, it's a yearly occurrence down there,” said George Schramm, city arborist and maintenance manager for Vineyard City. “I've lived in the county my whole life, very rarely do we see that southerly wind with a warm-up right in the middle of winter. So it's kind of an anomaly in that sense.”
According to FOX 13 News Meteorologist Brek Bolton, this icy phenomenon usually occurs in mid-spring
“Weather-wise, over the last two or three weeks, we had some very cold temperatures, which, of course, would then help out with the ice situation, allowing the ice to even be deeper, so you have thicker ice,” Bolton explained. “And then we've gone to another extreme, where we had these warm spring-like record-breaking temperatures. So that weakens the ice, and helps to break it up."
Along with warm temperatures, Bolton also says the Wasatch Front has been seeing strong winds of up to 40 to 50 miles per hour wind gusts, which has helped accelerate the ice’s movement.
“As that ice then weakens, breaks up, it then begins to move, and that southwest flow pushes that ice to the shore,” Bolton said.
Want to see the ice in person? Thomas recommends viewing from a safe position.
“I don't think it’s a safety issue, as long as you're back away from the shoreline,” Thomas said.
Bolton also adds that the change in temperatures is an opportunity to be aware of when to pursue winter activities that involve ice.
“Typically in the winter months, we do have ice activities and I know people sometimes travel over ice snowmobiling and just feel confident that the ice is thick enough,” Bolton said. “Now we have to think twice about that, especially with these warm temperatures.”
