No end to snow yet — more coming today
"There might be a break around midday, but we're expecting it to continue throughout the day," said Monica Traphagan, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake, Provo and Tooele could see another 3 to 6 inches on the valley floors, while Ogden and Cache Valley are expected to get up to 8 inches. Winds of 30 mph likely will cause blowing and drifting snow, limiting visibility for drivers, the Weather Service said.
In recent weeks, the storms have become a staple of the morning commute.
The "Snow Fighters," a team of 178 Salt Lake City employees, have cleared more than 5 feet of snow since Dec. 24, according to the city's Public Services Department. Since November, snowplow drivers have cleared 96,693 miles of road and used 17,905 tons of salt.
Wednesday's storm hit just in time for the morning commute, causing crashes, slide-offs and road closures.
"It keeps us busy," said Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Cameron Roden. "The snow definitely puts a strap on us."
The Utah Highway Patrol reported 73 crashes, three with minor injuries, and 13 slide-offs by 9:30 a.m.
Storms in southern Utah also led to the closure of state Route 72 from Fremont Junction to Loa, and state Route 43 from Brian Head to the Mammoth Creek Road.
By noon, the storm brought 3.5 inches of snow to North Salt Lake, according to the Weather Service.
The bad weather has brought some good news. In a hydrologic outlook released Wednesday, the Weather Service said the January storms brought an accumulation 165 percent of normal. Southern Utah was already above its normal April 1 snowpack levels. More storms in February and March could refill reservoirs and provide drought relief.
However, the Weather Service said there are some areas in southeastern Utah where there is concern for high springtime snowmelt flows.
Contributing: Ben Winslow
E-mail: afalk@desnews.com
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