Snow storm causes havoc on northern Utah roads

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A winter snow storm has created slow, icy driving conditions in the Salt Lake City area. But, it’s been a boon for Utah’s ski resorts.

The Utah Department of Public Safety worked nearly 90 accidents Thursday morning in Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah counties. That included two semi-trailers that jackknifed on Interstates 15 and 80, closing multiple lanes and bringing traffic to a crawl.

<div class=”p402_hide”>Cpl. Todd Johnson said nobody suffered life-threatening injuries. Most were caused by people driving too fast or not leaving enough space between cars.</div>

“It’s usually just bumps and bruises,” Johnson said.

Some roads were closed or restricted to cars with four-wheel drive or chains.

Snow is expected to taper off by Thursday night, but the National Weather Service has a winter weather advisory for the Wasatch Front. That includes from just south of Provo to Brigham City.

Up to 10 inches of snow fell in the Wasatch Front in the last 36 hours, National Weather Service data shows. Utah’s ski resorts in the Wasatch Mountains received as much as 20 inches of snow.

At Snowbird Ski Resort, 14 inches of snow has fallen in the last 24 hours, said spokeswoman Emily Moench. Another 3 to 7 inches are expected by Friday. The recent snowfall has put the area ahead of the average pace for this time of year, she said.

“It’s definitely been a huge help,” Moench said. “All the powder hounds are getting out there and getting after it. We couldn’t ask for more.”

The Utah Avalanche Center says there is considerable risk Thursday for mountains of Ogden, Salt Lake, Provo, the Skyline district and the Uintas. Logan mountains face moderate risk for avalanches, the center says.

It has been a snowy week in northern Utah. People awoke to a white Christmas, and a second storm began Tuesday evening that is expected to subside Thursday afternoon.

The worst of the storm has passed, said Roger Lamoni, a National Weather Service meteorologist. Only light snow and cold temperatures are expected Friday, he said.

Dry weather is forecast for the weekend but with subfreezing temperatures.

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