Box Elder County digging out from snow dump
Jan 17, 2024, 6:34 PM
Box Elder plow operators worked all day clearing snow after Wednesday morning's storm. (KSL TV)
(KSL TV)
BOX ELDER COUNTY — Parts of Box Elder County were busy digging out of several inches of snow Wednesday evening.
Well over a foot in some areas shut down the schools and county buildings.
That persistent snowfall Wednesday morning surprised a lot of people. It should be no surprise that Utah weather often comes in high quantities.
Homeowner Ken Gross said, “I prayed for snow, but I wanted it up there, not down here.”
He was surprised by just how much snow came down, grateful for the water he would need later on.
Benson Yates said, “We’re going to build a snowman, and I have to do homeschool.”
The Yates family was among those county-wide who had virtual learning. “Yeah. The minute I told him we weren’t going to school today, he just turned around to start getting his snow stuff and was ready to go,” Sierra Yates said.
The early-morning dumping led to what Superintendent Steve Carlsen said is always a tough call.
“They said just as soon as they plow it, it got another inch or two behind him again,” Carlsen said. “And so in talking about it, looking to the forecast, we just flat out decided, hey, we’re going to call it.”
He says grounds workers who were plowing at 4 a.m. couldn’t keep up. County road crews, who got started at 2 a.m. faced a similar challenge.
County Commissioner Lee Perry said, “They couldn’t keep ahead of keeping the sidewalks cleared for our buildings. At which point I just said it’s not safe for our employees to come get it, be here. And it’s certainly not safe for the public to try to drive there.”
Perry said county employees were told to stay home. Meetings and operations were closed down for the day.
“I didn’t expect this much snow. I was expecting a three-inch snowstorm,” Perry added.
Snowfall has many people still cleaning up, with much of the neighborhood streets covered well into the afternoon.
Goss said, “We need water. Yeah, it’s a little inconvenient, but we need the water, so it’s okay.”
Perry added that many of the county plow drivers are having to go back and re-clear roads that they plowed very early this morning which has really kept them busy all day.
