Code Blue Alert issued for Salt Lake County
Jan 9, 2024, 3:50 PM | Updated: Jan 10, 2024, 1:40 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake County was placed under Code Blue conditions Tuesday as temperatures were forecast to plummet.
The alert is activated when temperatures are predicted to drop to 15 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, which includes wind chill, for two hours or longer over 24 hours. KSL meteorologists expect a storm to move in Tuesday evening that could bring severe winter conditions.
The Code Blue alert, issued by the Salt Lake City Council, prompts emergency shelters to expand capacity by 35%.
Click here to find a shelter in your area. Click on Code Blue at the top of the page to find your county.
The following Code Blue emergency shelters are open Tuesday night according to a social media post from the Salt Lake City Council:
West Valley Overflow, 3381 S. Redwood Road, West Valley
Open 3 p.m. – 10 a.m.
Accepts men and couples.
Valley Behavioral Health, 1020 S. Main St, SLC
Open 8 p.m. – 7 a.m.
Accepts everyone, including families
Transportation from Homeless Resource Centers & St. Vincent de Paul’s to Code Blue shelters is available.
There’s a need for volunteers at shelters across the state. The Code Blue Alert enables cities and counties to open additional shelters and bed space for those facing the elements.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said volunteers are being asked to work shifts lasting as long as five hours.
“While We have the cots and the beds all set to go and staff on site to supervise, we do need more helping hands, it can be cleaning up in the morning it can be helping members of the community just get settled in,” Wilson said.
So far this season at the South Valley Behavioral Shelter in Salt Lake, 104 volunteers have given 352 hours of service and helped 184 people.
If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer in Salt Lake County click here.
The timing of a pair of cold fronts headed toward Utah could make for tricky evening commutes in the state’s north half on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The first cold front is forecast to arrive in the Wasatch Front late Tuesday afternoon, continuing into the early evening hours, bringing heavier snow showers, according to KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson.
The showers, he said, could be “heavy” at times. Snow showers are forecast to linger overnight into early Wednesday morning, even after the cold front passes on through, before conditions clear up for the Wednesday morning commute.
The council said on its Facebook page and will update the page each day a code is called. It stated:
When the temp. is expected to reach 15°F within the next 24-48 hours, a Code Blue alert is activated, & homeless shelters & service providers increase their capacity & services.
To get more information on Code Blue, find resources, and sign up to volunteer at a Code Blue shelter, please visit tinyurl.com/HomelessnessSLC
If you or someone you know is seeking shelter or resources, please call 801-990-9999 or visit a Homeless Resource Center.
Hay transporte disponible desde los Centros de Recursos para Personas sin Hogar y St. Vincent de Paul’s a los refugios de Código Azul. Actualizaremos este post cada día que se llame un Código Azul.Cuando se espera que la temperatura alcance los 15°F en las próximas 24-48 horas, se activa una alerta de Código Azul, y los refugios para personas sin hogar y los proveedores de servicios aumentan su capacidad y sus servicios.Para obtener más información sobre el Código Azul, encontrar recursos e inscribirse como voluntario en un refugio del Código Azul, visite tinyurl.com/HomelessnessSLCSi usted o alguien que usted conoce está buscando refugio o recursos, por favor llame al 801-990-9999 o visite un Centro de Recursos para Personas sin Hogar.
Snow squalls — intense periods of blowing snow that can reduce visibility and cause slippery conditions — are possible along the Wasatch Front, northern Utah and central Utah valleys as the cold front moves through, according to the National Weather Service. A warning for those will be issued by the agency should the need arise.
Weather conditions may also trigger squall warnings.
Emergency alerts could be sent to cell phones on Tuesday as dangerous wind and snow conditions hit northern Utah on Tuesday and Wednesday.
These alerts are called squall warnings, and they’ve caught users off guard in the past. Snow squall warnings are alerts that should be read carefully because a snow squall can heavily impact a person’s commute.
