Lake effect snow snarled traffic along the Wasatch Front early Friday, but conditions are expected to improve after 11 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.
The snow brought traffic to a crawl — in some areas, to a complete stop — on Interstate 15, Interstate 80 and Interstate 215, as well as surface streets. According to the Utah Highway Patrol, there were dozens of crashes.
As of 8 a.m., the weather service reported that the winter storm had dropped 24 inches of snow on Brighton, 19 inches on Alta and 16 inches on Snowbird.
Provo Canyon saw 9 inches of snow, while the Bountiful bench saw 5.5 inches. In Sandy, 4.2 inches had fallen, along with 3.5 inches in Tooele, 3.5 inches in Cedar City, 2.1 inches in Brigham City and an inch in Altamount.
The Salt Lake International Airport received 0.8 inches of snow between about 7:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m.
In the Salt Lake City area, there’s an 80% chance of more snow through mid-morning, with 4-8 inches of additional accumulation possible. Temperatures will remain below freezing. The forecast high is 27 degrees.
After the snow tapers off, it should be partly cloudy and cold on Friday night, with temperatures dropping to about 14 degrees.
It’ll warm up over the weekend, with partly sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-30s on Saturday and about 40 on Sunday. No more snow is in the forecast.
The beginning of next week should be even warmer. Expect temperatures in the mid-40s on Monday and the upper 40s on Tuesday, with overnight lows in the upper 20s and mid-30s.
The next chance for precipitation comes Tuesday, with a slight chance of snow before 11 a.m., then rain, with a mix of rain and snow possible on Tuesday night.
The weather wasn’t affecting commutes in southern Utah. In the St. George area, it’ll be sunny through the weekend, with a forecast high of 47 on Friday, 49 and Saturday and 53 on Sunday. Temperatures will be pushing 60 on Monday and Tuesday. Rain is expected Tuesday.