Winter storm bringing snow, possible Presidents Day travel impacts to Utah
Feb 21, 2022, 5:47 AM | Updated: 6:42 am
(UDOT)
(UDOT)
SALT LAKE CITY — A winter storm has moved into Utah, bringing some much-needed snow to the Beehive State. However, authorities expect the weather to impact the state’s roads as many Utahns travel home this Presidents Day.
KSL meteorologist Grant Weyman says the Wasatch Front will see 1-3″ of snow with Utah County seeing more — around 3-6″ of snow.
Most Utah mountains will see over 1′ of snow.
Snow in Sardine… more to come for most of state. 1 to 3 inches Salt Lake, Utah County will see more. 3-6 pic.twitter.com/S8A0H3ttfj
— Grant Weyman (@KSLweyman) February 21, 2022
The Utah Department of Transportation said Presidents Day drivers should expect heavy delays as people return from warmer locations and the winter storm hits Interstate 15.
“We took the three years prior to COVID and looked at where we saw a lot of build-up and focused on those hotspots, where we could see greater than usual delays,” said UDOT spokesperson John Gleason.
UDOT expects the main delays to happen this afternoon on northbound I-15 in Davis County from 3:30-7:30 p.m. and westbound U.S. Highway 6 in Spanish Fork Canyon from 3:30-7:30 p.m. UDOT also reminded drivers to use caution and stay alert, especially when traveling through construction zones.
UDOT said its biggest area of concern with the storm is along I-15 between Cove Fort and Cedar City.
“This area will see accumulating snowfall under a band of snow that develops heading into Monday afternoon,” UDOT said. “Most valleys in northern Utah will likely run wet with the benches seeing some minor accumulations. However, there is the possibility of a band developing somewhere between Salt Lake City and Nephi during the morning hours Monday that could overwhelm pavement temperatures and result in accumulations in some valley locations.”
Road Weather Alert: A statewide winter storm will bring road snow and hazardous travel conditions across the state starting 6 PM Sunday through 6 PM Monday. For more info visit: https://t.co/4P1gO1U0Gg @UtahTrucking #utwx #utsnow pic.twitter.com/GFsxMkDPjn
— UDOT Traffic (@UDOTTRAFFIC) February 19, 2022
A second storm system will move in Tuesday, and it will bring more snow to central and southern Utah. Meanwhile, a surge of cold air will bring below-average temperatures to the entire state for most of the week.
Monday’s storm comes after a crash-filled weekend on Utah’s roads. At least one person died in a crash that closed northbound I-15 and I-215 Sunday night, and a young man was critically injured after being hit by a vehicle on I-215 in eastern Salt Lake County.
And a Utah Highway Patrol trooper jumped into action early Sunday morning to stop a wrong-way driver on I-15.
