Snow partially covers the street signs in Suncrest in Draper on Jan. 18. A cold front passing through Utah brings another winter storm to the valleys and mountains.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Winter weather conditions and crashes closed Interstate 84 for hours in both directions in Box Elder County between Howell and Tremonton on Sunday night. The road reopened at about 10:30 p.m.
The Utah Highway Patrol is urging drivers to take it slowly during the Monday morning commute.
"When the roads are iced over, it doesn't really matter what capabilities your vehicle has. We really just need people to slow down," Utah Highway Patrol trooper Mikki Tucker told KSL-TV.
UHP officials said preliminary numbers showed that troopers had responded to 162 crashes by 8:10 p.m.
Traction control devices are also required for all semitrucks traveling on U.S. 6 between Spanish Fork and Helper.
A six-vehicle crash near Spanish Fork on I-15 blocked several lanes and led to delays Sunday night; no major injuries were reported. A motorhome tipped over near Farmington also blocked lanes on I-15 earlier in Davis County.
School closures
Utah State University is delaying the opening of campus Monday in northern Utah. The university says the campus will be closed until 10 a.m. due to "severe, cold temperatures." "Classes beginning at 10:30 a.m. will proceed as regularly scheduled," USU officials said. The delayed opening applies to the Logan, Brigham City and Tremonton campuses.
Some school districts also reported planned school opening delays for Monday morning.
- The Logan City School District is delaying the start of school by two hours on Monday morning, according to the school district’s Facebook page. The bus schedule will be on the normal route, the district said, but on a delayed schedule. The end of the school day will be on the regular schedule. For kindergarten, the half-day session is canceled but the full-day schedule will have the same two-hour delay as the rest of the schools.
- Cache County School District officials also said, "All schools will start exactly two hours later than normal. Students should be at bus stops two hours later than they would normally arrive. There will be no a.m. preschool or kindergarten. Schools will dismiss at the regular time. We encourage parents to also take actions as appropriate to respond to cold weather conditions, such as dressing children warmly, driving children to bus stops, etc."
- The Tooele County School District is delaying the starting time of the Dugway school by two hours on Monday, the district said on its Facebook page. The Dugway school will start at 10 a.m. Monday, according to the district's Facebook post. The other Tooele County schools will start at the regular time.
- Box Elder School District will delay the start of school by two hours on Monday for the schools in the northern half of the county due to winds and drifting snow, the district said on its Facebook page. The decision to move to a virtual school day will be made by 5 a.m. Monday, the school districts said.
Monday will be a virtual learning day in the Box Elder School District.
Wind chill danger
The National Weather Service of Salt Lake City issued a wind chill warning for the Wasatch Front early Sunday. Dangerously cold temperatures are expected to last into early Monday.
The temperatures pose an extreme risk of hypothermia and frostbite. Wind chill values from Brigham City to Cache Valley and the Idaho border could reach 20 degrees below zero. On the northern Wasatch Front, it could feel like 10 below. Salt Lake and Utah County could reach zero and in the Great Salt Lake desert, the wind chill factor could go as low as 30 below near the Idaho border and 10 below near Wendover.
⚠️Dangerously cold wind chills expected tonight into Monday morning
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) January 29, 2023
-Cache Valley
-I-15 Corridor Brigham City to ID
-Northern Wasatch Front
-I-84 Corridor Tremonton to ID
-Great Salt Lake Desert
These cold wind chills can cause hypothermia and frost bite quickly #utwx pic.twitter.com/WQ06l2QIx9
The cold front passing through Utah brought snow across the mountains and valleys through Sunday evening.
The weather service said on Saturday afternoon that said the cold front would reach northern Utah on Saturday evening, central Utah by Sunday morning and southern Utah by Sunday evening.
Snow totals listed by the National Weather Service as of Sunday morning included:
- 8 to 15 inches across Cache Valley
- 11.5 inches in Garland
- 10.1 inches in Bear River City
- 7 inches in Mantua
- 5.8 inches in Brigham City
- 4.5 inches in Randolph
- 3 inches in Eden
- 9 inches in Smithfield
- 7 inches at Power Mountain
- 11 inches in Logan
"The heaviest snow is now in the Salt Lake valley," weather service officials tweeted before 2 p.m. As temperatures are in the upper 20s with road temperatures near freezing expect slick spots to rapidly develop. Take it slow, or stay home if you can."
When the cold front passes, the mountains were expected to see 5 to 11 inches of snow by Sunday night with higher amounts expected in the upper Cottonwoods, Western Uintas and the Brian Head area.
A winter weather advisory was put in place for the northern and central mountains starting at 8 p.m. Saturday and ending at 8 a.m. Monday. The southern mountains have a winter weather advisory from Sunday at 5 p.m. through 8 p.m. Monday.
"If traveling, plan for more time to reach your destination and if you encounter adverse driving conditions, slow down," the National Weather Service said.
Utah wildlife officials warned drivers this week to be wary of big game animals who move into more populated areas while seeking food and shelter during the winter months.
Contributing: Ashley Fredde and Matt Brooks
Most Utah valleys and Uinta County, WY will also see impacts, with Winter Weather Advisories going into effect across the highlighted areas.
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) January 28, 2023
Blowing and drifting snow from gusty winds may reduce visibility at times across Uinta County, WY. #utwx #wywx pic.twitter.com/PgGBqZjVKl