Snow falls on northern Utah — more skiff than blanket

The sign flashed red atop the Walker Center Saturday night in downtown Salt Lake City, meaning just one thing — snow was on the way.

And it came, just as the old neon beacon predicted, although not much fell.

"We had snow, but it remained pretty light," said Monica Traphagan, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City.

Ski resorts like Brighton and Alta only saw between 4 and 5 inches of new powder by Saturday evening. High winds also came in with a cold front with gusts of 49 mph in South Ogden and in the 30s near the Salt Lake International Airport.

Snow and wind were to blame for multiple accidents that closed portions of state Road 14, with an eight-car pileup, and I-84 at around 10 p.m. Saturday, according to Department of Public Safety Sgt. Jeff Nigbur. He said there were several accidents on I-84 near the Idaho border and that part of SR14 between Cedar City and Hatch was closed due to the pileup.

Traphagan said the first snow of the season in the valleys may have caught people off guard, even though less came down than forecast. "We were looking at more in the way of accumulation," she said.

Traphagan said warm ground may have inhibited the amount of snow that made it to valley floors. She added that the rain and snow that hit most of the state Saturday should taper off today and be gone by afternoon, with only a few possibilities for lake-effect snow.

By Monday and for the rest of the week, an area of high pressure is expected to dominate Utah and return temperatures more to normal, with highs in the mid-60s in the valleys and drier air throughout the state, Traphagan said.

Rain eventually turned to snow in parts of Utah by about 6 p.m. Saturday and continues into today, said Christine Kruse, forecaster for the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City. About 2 inches to 6 inches of snow was expected in Salt Lake and Tooele counties, though mountain benches and areas east of the Great Salt Lake were predicted to get more.

Utah County likely will see about 2 inches to 5 inches of snow.

Because leaves have not fallen from trees, the extra weight from snow could cause branches near power lines to droop or break, leading to power outages, Kruse said.

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com; lwilde@desnews.com

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