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Winter has arrived in Utah, with snow and temperatures plunging below zero in a few parts of the state and motorists sliding on icy roads.

The state Department of Public Safety said numerous crashes have been reported due to drivers going too fast for the icy conditions. In two collisions, Utah Highway Patrol vehicles were struck while troopers were dealing with previous accidents.

"Drivers statewide are encouraged to slow down, be mindful of bridges and ramps (they freeze quickly), and stay in their vehicles if they are involved in a crash," the DPS said in a written statement. "Use caution and stay buckled up!"

In Salt Lake County alone, from 8 p.m. to midnight Thursday, there were 67 crashes, including six where people were injured, the statement says. In addition, the department received numerous other walk-in reports on Friday.

The National Weather Service is predicting cold weather and a chance of more snow this weekend. In the approximately 12 hours ending 7 a.m. Saturday, snow accumulations were 0.1 at Salt Lake International Airport; 0.3 inches in Sandy; 1.4 inches on the Bountiful bench; 4 inches in Provo Canyon; 5 inches on Powder Mountain; and 6.3 inches at Alta.

The high temperature in the Wasatch Mountains north of Interstate 80 is predicted to reach the mid 20s on Saturday, then drop to 10 below zero at night. Sunday's high is expected to be near 20 and the low near zero.

In the Alta area, the high will be near 15 and the low near zero on Saturday, with Sunday bringing a high and low of near 15 and 5 to 10 degrees, the National Weather Service says.

Other parts of northern Utah will be a little warmer on Saturday, with expected highs in the 30s. The weather service is predicting a low of about 5 below zero in Park City and near zero in Logan; the rest of the Wasatch Front can expect lows from 10 to 20 degrees overnight.

The chance of snow on Saturday was 70 percent in Salt Lake City and 90 percent in Provo, with accumulations of up to 2 inches possible in both places. With the chance of snow near 100 percent in Alta and Brighton, another 1 to 3 inches could accumulate.

Sunday will be sunny, with highs ranging from the mid 20 to the mid 30s in northern Utah, the weather service says. The Park City and Logan areas can expect lows of about zero to 5 degrees; the temperatures in Salt Lake City, Ogden and Wendover are predicted to drop to about 15 to 20 degrees.

Southern Utah will seem balmy by comparison. In St. George, the weather service is predicting highs in the upper 60s and lows in the low 30s on Satuday and highs in the mid 50s and lows of about 30 on Sunday.

In Kanab, the thermometer is predicted to hit 60 and drop to the mid 20s on Saturday. Sunday will be slightly cooler, according to the weather service, with a high in the upper 40s and a low in the low 20s.

To get more forecast information, visit The Tribune's weather page at http://www.sltrib.com/weather.

Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC