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SALT LAKE CITY — Lake effect snow carried on into Monday, affecting the morning commute along parts of the Wasatch Front.
The Ogden, Weber and Morgan school districts, and Weilenmann School of Discovery in Park City, delayed the start of school by two hours Monday due to the weather conditions. Davis School District and Ascent Academy Farmington announced they would hold classes remotely Monday and school buildings would remain closed for the day. Weber State University was closed until 10 a.m.
Slick road conditions made driving difficult, especially in Davis County, the KSL Traffic Center said, but the storm is expected to move south by midmorning. The National Weather Service said to expect significant impacts on roads in the northern and central Wasatch Front.
Interstate 15 is seeing heavy delays in Davis County, from Woods Cross to Layton, according to the Utah Department of Transportation. A car crash on state Route 39 has closed Ogden Canyon road in both directions.
The Utah Avalanche Center warned of "considerable" to "high" avalanche danger across most of the state, and several canyon roads will be closed intermittently for avalanche mitigation. State Route 210 in Little Cottonwood Canyon is expected to remain closed through 11:30 a.m., and U.S. 189 will be closed intermittently for rockfall mitigation at the mouth of Provo Canyon between 10 and 11 a.m.
Troopers warned drivers to be cautious Monday morning, saying they had already responded to more than 300 crashes this weekend.
"Fast-moving spring snow storms quickly impact road conditions," Utah Highway Patrol Col. Michael Rapich tweeted. "Speed, aggressive & distracted driving don't mix with wet/snow/ice covered roads."
This is probably the 5th slide off we've seen in less than 1.5 hours of driving. Stay in your car and stay safe.
— Shelby Lofton (@newswithShelby) March 27, 2023
I've seen people fishtail trying to merge onto the freeway. Snowing so much it seems the plows can't keep up. @KSL5TVpic.twitter.com/h9eiPFW2Cn
Lake effect snow is produced when a cold air mass moves across a warmer body of water such as a lake. As the cool air moves across the warm water, the water vapor from the lake freezes and rises through the cold air which is then deposited on the shores, producing snow.
The main forecast challenges are where the band of snow will develop and how long it will stay where it lands.
There is medium chance of more accumulating snow late tonight across all of northern Utah which could deliver another 1-3". Additionally, there is a 65% chance of lake effect snow early Monday morning SE of the GSL impacting the morning commute with more accumulating snow. #utwxpic.twitter.com/QEl909Cou7
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) March 26, 2023
Alta Ski Area reached its all-time snowiest season on record Saturday, and Snowbasin followed suit on Sunday. Snow totals from this storm have yet to be tallied.
Contributing: Sicily Stanton
