This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah was preparing for the season's first major snowstorm, expected to dump several inches by Tuesday morning's commute.
"Our crews are out in force tonight," John Gleason, spokesman for the Utah Department of Transportation, said Monday. "We'll be working around the clock until the roads are clear."
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for a huge section of the state stretching from Tooele east through southern Salt Lake County, Park City to just north of Vernal, and extending south through Provo, Price, Delta, Richfield, Cedar City, Bryce Canyon and St. George.
The warning was in effect through 4 p.m. Wednesday. Three to 8 inches was expected in the Salt Lake and Tooele valleys, 5 to 10 inches across the southern Wasatch Front and 1 to 2 feet in the mountains. Heavier snows were predicted in central, southern and eastern Utah, with 8 to 16 inches in the valleys and 1 to 3 feet in the mountains.
The Utah Department of Transportation issued a travel advisory for Interstate 15 between Payson and Cedar City, where nearly a foot of snow was expected. Travel advisories also were issued for Interstate 40 through the Uintah Basin and U.S. Highway 6 over Soldier Summit.
A winter weather advisory was in place for northern and eastern Utah, affecting Logan, Brigham City, Ogden, the Great Salt Lake Desert and Duchesne County.
The advisory was effective through noon Tuesday, with valleys looking for up to 3 inches of snow and mountain locations 5-10 inches.
The arrival of the storm system was expected to send temperatures along the Wasatch Front tumbling from Monday's 50s to an overnight low below freezing and Tuesday daytime highs in the mid-30s.
On Tuesday, southern Utahns can expect temperatures in the low to mid-50s, down about 10 degrees from Monday. Overnight lows were likely to dip into the mid-30s.
The Utah Avalanche Center forecast a "moderate" risks for potentially deadly snowslides in the state's mountains on Tuesday as the storms rolled into the region.
For a detailed look at the state's forecasts, visit the Tribune's weather page at sltrib.com/weather.
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