SALT LAKE CITY — In the last weekend of March, Utah is expected to receive even more snow and rain, creating tough conditions for many through the weekend.
Read: Utah likely to break record of largest snowpack ever
Alta and Snowbird ski areas announced Friday afternoon that a full interlodge was in effect, meaning everyone needed to take shelter due to the snow.
"All lifts are now on hold & everyone at Snowbird needs to make their way to a building, immediately," Snowbird wrote in a tweet. "You cannot stay in your car. This is for your safety. There is no eta on when Interlodge will be lifted."
"Lodges, please help shelter who you can," Alta officials said.
Due to the interlodge orders, Alta announced their facility would be closed the rest of the day while Snowbird simply said lifts were "on hold."
The interlodge was lifted shortly before 7 p.m., and S.R. 210 through Little Cottonwood Canyon was reopened.
🚧 #RoadClosureUpdate 🚧 #SR210 is OPEN to all travel.
— UDOT Cottonwood Canyons (@UDOTcottonwoods) March 25, 2023
EXPECT:
‼️Heavy delays when exiting parking areas and during downhill travel, visitors will be driving slow due to conditions.
‼️Fully stopped traffic for extended periods of time.@UDOTTRAFFIC @UDOTRegionTwo pic.twitter.com/qkUF2kewx9
In total, two snow squall warnings were issued from two separate bands of snow that spread through Utah during the morning commute and around noon Friday.
The squalls brought the Beehive State 3.2 inches of snow and experts say they're trying to learn how rare it is to have two squall warnings issued in the same day.
The snow is expected to continue to fall through Friday night and into Saturday morning, meaning roads could continue to stay slick.
A winter weather advisory was put into effect until noon on Saturday so Utahns should be prepared for winter conditions over the next 24 hours.
TRACK THE STORM: Get real-time storm information by downloading the FREE Utah Weather Authority app
The Utah Department of Transportation warned there could be moderate weather-related concerns from Salt Lake City to Cedar City and drivers should expect impaired travel from Davis County through the far northern areas of the state.
Because of the road conditions, the Provo School District announced Friday morning that they would only be running below-bench pickups for the day for students.
While no schools in Utah implemented a delayed-start day or snow day, some school buses struggled to get students to class.
The Canyons School District reported that one bus got stuck in a snowbank and about ten buses were stuck in traffic. In addition, buses were finding difficulty making it into the foothills to pick up students due to the slick conditions.
Listen closely to hear the melodic sound of a rain/snow mix in Lehi hitting the windshield. Road conditions and visibility are poor on this Friday morning drive. @fox13 pic.twitter.com/0Zh9Na8vTh
— April Baker (@AprilBakertv) March 24, 2023
Wind is also a factor in Friday's storm and could impact travel in the far north, particularly in castle country by Friday afternoon and evening.
The National Weather Service expects the heaviest snow to fall Friday morning, and reported northern and central valleys could receive anywhere from one to four inches, and benches as well as Cache County could receive up to eight inches of fresh powder.
NWS also reports that the northern mountains could receive one to two feet of snow from Friday to Saturday.
The storm won't let up anytime soon, with snow expected to continue off and on most of Friday, overnight and continuing into Saturday morning.
In addition, Lake effect snow is possible overnight and into Saturday morning which could bring higher amounts of accumulation to the valley floors from Bountiful to the East side of the Salt Lake Valley.
By noon on Saturday, storms will taper off but not for long as another lake effect push is possible on Sunday morning which could mainly impact Davis County.
