MURRAY, Utah — A massive winter storm is set to roll through Utah this week, prompting several state agencies to start preparing for what's to come.
That storm is expected to bring snow, rain and freezing temperatures to most of the state.
"Anybody who is ready for spring, winter is not quite done with us yet," said John Gleason, the Utah Department of Transportation's public relations director.
Gleason says the weather could bring some challenging conditions.
"We're talking about eight inches, and even more in certain parts of the state," he said.
UDOT says the storm will begin impacting the northern part of the Beehive State Tuesday morning. Then from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, the storm is expected to make its way through the Wasatch Front.
"There's a good potential of closing the Cottonwood Canyons for avalanche control work at some point because, you know, at the end of the storm we could see a couple of feet of fresh powder up there," said Gleason.
He said their plow crews will be working long hours to make the roads safe, and they will start pre-treating the roads Tuesday night.
"This is a statewide storm system. We're going to need all of our crews... We are well-staffed," said Gleason.
Utah Highway Patrol is also beefing up its staff for the upcoming storm.
"They've actually assigned more shifts for more troopers to be out on the road to assist with the snowstorm, so we will have more manpower out in the next two days," said UHP Sgt. Colton Freckleton.
Freckleton is urging people who have to be out on the road to be prepared. He says you're supposed to have 2/32" of tread on your vehicle, adding that anything below that is very dangerous.
He also says it is wise to leave early to provide yourself enough time to get to your destination safely.
"The biggest thing that we worry about all the time is vehicles following too close," Freckleton said. "I think that in these snowstorms, you don't have enough time to reduce your speed to avoid crashes."
Longtime Murray resident Bruce Bain found some time Monday afternoon to enjoy the calm before the storm with his 9-month-old granddaughter, Addie.
"Just catching a little bit of good weather before the snow falls," he said.
Bain hopes this isn't the last snowstorm we see this season.
"I'm glad we're getting some snow this winter. It's been many years of drought, so I think there's a little hope to fill up the reservoirs this year, andd the Great Salt Lake too," he said.
Gleason also says if Utahns can work from home Wednesday morning or even delay their travel until the roads are in better shape, it is definitely something worth considering due to the amount of snow expected with this storm.
