SALT LAKE CITY — Wednesday's storm delivered heavy snow across Utah, causing massive traffic delays, straining snow plows and covering many cities in several inches of fresh powder.
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A Snow Squall Warning was issued for Interstate 15, I-84, and US-89 near Ogden and Layton. The warning lasted until 4 p.m. and was not extended. The squall caused major impacts as snow stuck quickly to the roads and piled up during the evening commute.
The cold front and squall impacted Salt Lake and Tooele counties, as well as Parleys Canyon, around 4:30 p.m. before hammering Utah County after 6:00 p.m.
The Utah Department of Transportation warned of heavy impacts during the afternoon and evening hours across northern Utah, saying drivers should expect to use high caution while out on the roads due to the dangerous weather.
Drivers experienced massive impacts Wednesday evening, crawling along I-15 for hours during the storm as plows tried to keep up with snow removal. It seemed that as soon as snow was shoveled, roads would quickly be covered in powder again.
Eagle Mountain City asked all residents to stay off the roads unless "absolutely necessary" until the following morning commute due to the severe snow squall in the area.
Due to a severe snow squall in the area, Eagle Mountain City is encouraging residents to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary until the morning commute. This will allow the City's plows to get through the city more quickly while keeping residents safe. Thank you for… pic.twitter.com/fLU1OCp21q
— Eagle Mountain City (@eaglemtncity) January 11, 2024
Nearly all of Interstate 15, from Logan to just North of St. George, was marked in red to signify the dangerous travel conditions Wednesday.
Overnight, the storm headed south into central and southern Utah, continuing to create difficult driving conditions along I-15 and other roads.
The storm had "statewide impacts," Wednesday into Thursday morning, with UDOT and other Utah officials urging drivers to slow down or stay off the roads completely as snow covers roads.
In addition to the dangerous roads and frigid temperatures, over 1,000 customers in the southern portion of the Salt Lake Valley were without power temporarily during the storm. Rocky Mountain Power sent its crews to investigate the outage and power was restored later in the day.
It was predicted that the Wasatch Mountains and the Park City area could see an additional foot of snow overnight, while Salt Lake City could see up to four inches. Areas in the north, such as Brigham City, could receive 6 inches of snow.
Due to cold temperatures, Salt Lake City issued a Code Blue for the second straight night, which allows for emergency shelters to open.
Ahead of Wednesday's storm, the Provo City School District called for a delayed start for classes, "due to forecasted weather conditions and concerns about potential road conditions in the morning."
SCHOOL DELAYS AND CLOSURES: Check out the full list of school delays and closures across Utah
Utah Highway Patrol troopers reported responding to about 100 crashes on Tuesday as drivers navigated icy roads, wind and blowing snow. In the very early morning hours of Wednesday, UHP troopers already reported responding to about nine crashes.
Alta and Brighton were the big winners of Tuesday's storm, receiving 12 inches of fresh snow in just one day. Park City Resort and the Logan mountains were right behind that, with ten inches of powder.
The storm on Tuesday also produced some impressive wind, which damaged power lines and trees at its peak. The National Weather Service recorded 70 mile-per-hour gusts on Interstate 15 near Brigham City and 67 mph gusts on Interstate 80 near the Great Salt Lake.
