Snowstorm hits Utah, impacting morning commutes, schools; avalanche warning issued

SALT LAKE CITY — A winter storm warning will be in effect through Tuesday morning for the northern Wasatch Front as snow showers move into the area.

Snow has made for a messy morning commute north of Salt Lake City while Salt Lake and Utah counties have mainly seen cloudy skies and light snow showers Monday morning.

The snow is coming down in Ogden this morning #utwx #KSLTV pic.twitter.com/qyBRv2yPA5

— Derek Petersen (@Derek_Photog) December 12, 2022

KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson said snow will continue to come and go throughout the afternoon and into Tuesday. Later this week some frigid air moves in, dropping daytime highs into the 20s.

The winter storm warning says 6″ to 12″ could fall in the Ogden Valley and Wasatch Back, with the heaviest snowfall between 5 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. Monday, making for hazardous driving conditions during the morning and evening commutes.

If you are waking up with little snow across the Salt Lake and Utah County areas, one factor is related to just how warm it was yesterday. These warm temperatures contributed to a slower change over to snow…and thus less accumulation. #utwx

— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) December 12, 2022

School delays

The Tooele County School District said Dugway schools will be on a two-hour delay Monday while all other schools in the district will start at normal times.

The Ogden School district is also implementing a two-hour delay. District officials said AM half-day preschool and kindergarten will be canceled. PM half-day programs will continue as normal.

As of 6 a.m. Monday, the Granite School District said it plans to hold classes as regularly scheduled.

Avalance warning

The Utah Avalanche Center has issued a backcountry avalanche warning for the Wasatch Mountains north of I-80 and the Bear River Range.

“Very strong south winds and heavy snowfall have overloaded the snowpack creating unstable conditions. Avalanches are likely even at low elevations and on small slopes. Stay off of and out from under slopes steeper than 30 degrees,” the warning said.

It's a powder day in the mountains! However, an AVALANCHE WARNING has been issued for the northern Wasatch Mountains due to volatile snow conditions. #utwx pic.twitter.com/hZrayT3hSF

— Matthew Johnson (@KSL_Matt) December 12, 2022

The Utah Department of Transportation closed Little Cottonwood Canyon for avalanche mitigation efforts. UDOT reopened the canyon at 8 a.m. Monday.

🚧 #RoadClosureUpdate 🚧 @UDOTAvy avalanche mitigation complete. #SR210 is OPEN to all traffic. Thanks for your patience this AM! @UDOTTRAFFIC @UDOTRegionTwo @UtahDOT @AltaCentral @AltaAlerts @alta_of @SnowbirdAlerts @UPDSL @RideUTA @CHCity @sandycityutah pic.twitter.com/koXpoVRWyZ

— UDOT Cottonwood Canyons (@UDOTcottonwoods) December 12, 2022