A Monday morning storm left little snow but caused major damage on Northern Utah roadways as hundreds of cars crashed during the Monday morning commute, state troopers said.
Most of the 275 to 300 accidents were minor, said Utah Highway Patrol trooper Cameron Roden.
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"It was a really busy day," Roden said. "With the warm early winter people have to get used to driving in snow again. Remember to slow down and leave a little more space."
There were a few serious crashes: a passenger was thrown from a car that crashed on southbound Interstate 15 near Ogden at about 8 a.m. and a four-mile stretch between Payson and Santaquin saw 10 or more crashes around 10:30 a.m., but none of the injuries were thought to be life-threatening, Roden said.
The storm left only about a half-inch of snow behind in Salt Lake City, and up to 2 inches on the benches, according to the National Weather Service. There wasn’t a lot more accumulation in the mountains — Snowbird ski resort reported 3 inches on its website; Solitude posted no new snowfall.
It’s been a dry winter so far, but the coming week will bring more snow.
Northern Utah has only received about 10 inches total this winter and last month posted the lowest snowfall on record for December, said National Weather Service meteorologist Christine Kruse.
But an active, moist system is predicted to hit Northern Utah Wednesday and continue through the following Wednesday, Kruse said. There’s an 80 percent chance of snow Wednesday and a 90 percent chance on Thursday, the Weather Service predicted. A winter storm watch was issued from Wednesday afternoon through Friday afternoon.
Monday’s storm brought the snow total so far for January to 4.4 inches. Compare that to the month’s high record of 50.3 inches in 1993, and low of a trace of snow in 2003.
The storm left even less — under an inch — accumulation in the mountains of central and southern Utah. The upcoming storm system will also mainly bypass that part of the state, with temperatures in the mid-50s predicted for southern Utah in the coming week and in the mid-to-upper-40s near Richfield.
Twitter: @lwhitehurst
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