Slick, snowy roads led to multiple crashes Wednesday on Interstate 15, forcing Utah Highway Patrol to temporarily close the roadway for about an hour in both directions near Nephi.
UHP officials urged caution and patience Wednesday afternoon as a winter storm made its way through central and southern Utah. Although northern Utah saw minimal snow, unseasonably cold temperatures will continue throughout the state for several days, according to the National Weather Service.
Overnight Tuesday into early Wednesday, wind gusts of up to 76 mph were recorded in Davis County, 60 mph at Hill Air Force Base, 55 mph in Sugar House, 50 mph in Ogden, and 45 mph in downtown Salt Lake City.
The storm also brought 1-2 feet of fresh snow across the state’s high mountain terrain, creating dangerous avalanche conditions across much of Utah. According to the Utah Avalanche Center, the danger was more pronounced in the central and southern regions of the state.
Temperatures will remain about 20 degrees below normal for most of this week. In Salt Lake City — where normal highs are 48-50 at this time of year — the forecast calls for highs in the upper 20s through Friday, dipping as low as 10 overnight.
It will hover above freezing on Saturday, with a high of 37 and a low of 16. But forecast daily highs won’t normalize until Sunday (45), Monday (46) and Tuesday (51).
In southern Utah, snow began to fall in St. George on Wednesday morning; up to an inch was expected. And it will be cold there, too. Normal highs in St. George are 61-62, but the forecast calls for 45 on Thursday, 48 on Friday and 49 on Saturday, with overnight lows in the low 20s.
Temperatures are expected to normalize there on Sunday (56), Monday (60) and Tuesday (64).