FIRST ALERT WEATHER: Ogden to SLC commuters face up to 2-hour drive
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Wasatch Front residents to the east of the Great Salt Lake are facing snow-packed roads amid lake-enhanced showers overnight that continued into Monday morning.
The 2News Weather Team has issued a First Alert Weather Day as the storm was affecting various areas of northern Utah.
This article is being updated throughout the morning. Check back for updates.
Stay ahead of the storm wherever you are with the 2News Weather App.
10 a.m. - Winter Weather Advisories soon ending
Snow showers continue across the northern and central Wasatch Front late this morning. These showers will taper off by early afternoon, but an isolated flurry or two could linger into later this afternoon. The Winter Weather Advisories that are currently in place are set to expire at 11 a.m.
The rest of Monday and Tuesday will be dry as we get a brief break from the storms, however another storm will begin moving into the state Wednesday.
This next storm looks like it will be a slow-mover. It will impact the state from Wednesday through Friday morning. Showers will begin as rain on Wednesday, but they will turn to snow by Wednesday evening as a cold front moves through the region.
On-and-off snow showers will continue Thursday and into early Friday. Snow totals are still very much up in the air with this system. The timing of the changeover from rain to snow will drastically impact how much snow a location will see. The 2News Weather Team will keep you updated as we get closer.
Another storm looks possible late in the weekend.
7:30 a.m. - Morning drivers facing traffic nightmare
Major highways were seeing significant snow traps up and down Weber and Davis counties, with UDOT traffic cameras showing vehicles getting stuck at multiple freeway entrances and exits, which can be slipperier than the roads themselves during snowstorms.
2News meteorologist Lindsay Storrs said commuters from Ogden to Salt Lake City should delay their commutes or work from home if they can, as weather-related traffic issues left highway speeds below 30 miles per hour in multiple areas. The drive from Ogden to Salt Lake City was taking between 1.5 - 2 hours at 7:30 a.m.
"Better off to work from home if you can," she said.
UDOT's traffic website showed slowdowns happening from Brigham City to the northern tip of Salt Lake County, though drivers in the rest of the Salt Lake Valley were clocking in at speeds of 51 miles per hour or faster.
Those commuting through Parleys Canyon or the roadways along the northern half Salt Lake County's east benches are also facing a slow commute.
"It is a mess," Storrs said, specifically about a ramp from Legacy Parkway that connects to I-15. "If you're headed northbound, Legacy Parkway is not the route to take. I-15 northbound will be your better option."
The band of lake-effect snow is moving south and is expected to be hitting the Salt Lake, Tooele, and Utah valleys into about 11 a.m. before it dissipates. Most areas should have a dry commute home.
6:30 a.m. - Davis School District announces delay
The Davis School District announced it, too, will be going on a two-hour delay as roads conditions deteriorated in the area.
UDOT's website showed major traffic slowing across the county as teams of plows attacked the highways.
6 a.m. - Ogden, Weber school districts announce delays
The vicious battering of lake-enhanced snow prompted two school districts to announce two-hour delays on Monday.
Students in both the Weber and Ogden school districts will be starting class two hours late today. Bus schedules will also be running on the 2-hour delay.
The lake-effect storm was having affecting traffic in northern areas even as the band moved south. The Utah Department of Transportation's traffic cameras in Weber and Davis counties showed berms of snow up and down I-15 and slushy, slick on- and off-ramps, where vehicles sliding into the piled-up snow and getting stuck.
According to the Utah Highway Patrol, troopers responded to more than 300 crashes over the storm-addled weekend. Col. Michael Rapich posted to social media, asking drivers to take it easy on the treacherous roads Monday morning.
"Fast moving spring snow storms quickly impact road conditions," he tweeted. "Speed, Aggressive & Distracted Driving don’t mix with wet / snow / ice covered roads. Thanks for Driving Safe!"
5:30 a.m. - Dangerous drive after lake-enhanced snowstorm
The morning kicked off with lake-enhanced snow dropping inches of new accumulation in Weber and Davis counties, which was quickly tamped down into a thick, slick slab across the major highways.
The east side of the Salt Lake Valley was also getting hit with some significant activity in the 5 a.m. hour.
It won't stay exclusively in these areas, though. By 9 a.m., the strongest part of the band of snow will be hitting the Salt Lake and Tooele Valleys and portions of Utah Valley. A band will continue southward before letting up around lunchtime.
The high today will hit around 40 degrees along the Wasatch Front, which is below normal for this time of the year.
There have been more below-average temperatures over the past two weeks than average or above-average. While it may not be ideal weather for springtime activities, it is good for the state's record snowpack, which could pose major flood dangers if it melts too quickly.
