Hallelujah chorus rings out from Utah ski resorts as snow finally falls. See how much.

It happened — finally.

On Saturday, for the first time in 284 days, measurable snow fell at the National Weather Service’s airport recording location.

Salt Lake City ended its third-longest snowless streak when 0.1 inch of graupel (soft hail or snow pellets) fell at the international airport early Saturday, forecaster Alex DeSmet said. It was also the second latest snowfall in the city’s history, about a week shy of the record set on Jan. 2, 1891.

This storm system also brought modest amounts to the previously mostly brown mountains in the surrounding foothills and the nearby Cottonwood canyons — blessing Utah’s famed ski resorts with a post-Christmas present of fresh powder.

In Big Cottonwood Canyon, as of Saturday afternoon, Brighton reported 4 inches of new snow. While Alta, atop neighboring Little Cottonwood, reported 9 inches during the past 24 hours.

The weather service predicted anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of snow could accumulate through early Sunday in most of Utah’s mountains, with even higher totals possible in the upper Cottonwoods, the Bear River Range, the high Uintas and the Tushar Mountains.

Until Saturday, ski resorts had tried to make snow themselves, but the warm weather had somewhat thwarted those efforts. At some lower-base elevation resorts, guests trekked through wet slush to board lifts and were limited to icy, on-piste runs that slithered down bare mountain sides in white ribbons.

At Solitude Mountain Resort, just below Brighton, 4 inches of snow descended, and crews opened its Sunrise lift amid blowing flakes, the resort announced. With this opening, half the resort’s eight lifts are now operating.

Snowbird, in Little Cottonwood, received 6 inches overnight, and crews used the colder temperatures to make more snow, they said in a post on their website. The resort expected between 2 and 10 inches before Saturday ended. — “so keep your fingers and toes crossed for some pow turns.”

“I did my snow dance last night,” the post continued, “did you?”

Deer Valley, located along the Wasatch Back in Park City, also announced lift openings amid the storm, including its brand-new East Village gondola and Pinyon Express chairlift.

“This historic day,” the resort said on social media, “reflects the dedication and expertise of our Mountain Operations team, whose tireless efforts are bringing the mountain to life as quickly and thoughtfully as possible.”

The resort reported 5 inches of snow from this storm.

Spokesperson Emily Summers said the lifts were planned to open, storm or not, but the snow, “of course, helps.”

She added that the resort doubled its snowmaking capabilities going into this ski season. With colder weather in the forecast, Summers said, “we are ready to take advantage of these temperatures to finally fire it up.”

The Yuletide snow made for crowded roads leading to the Cottonwood canyons’ ski resorts. Traction laws took effect for both canyons.

In Little Cottonwood, where Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies were stationed at the mouth to enforce traction laws, traffic crawled up the mountain.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to a rollover in Little Cottonwood Canyon on Saturday morning. The Utah Department of Transportation warned drivers of slick conditions and to expect delays.

Just before 1 p.m., Alta announced its parking lots were essentially full and urged skiers to take the bus or arrive later in the day.

At Brighton, cameras streaming live conditions showed light snow still falling.

Jared Winkler, Brighton Resort’s vice president of marketing, said the latest storm was “great.”

“While us powder hounds are never fully satisfied, it did wonders for the slopes,” he said, adding that the snow made for nicely groomed conditions on runs and had filled in some off-piste areas in the trees.

Crews, he said, will continue making snow to fill in high-traffic areas on runs that aren’t yet open, with hopes to get them on line by the new year. He said crews have also began spinning the Great Western Express — “a good sign they’re getting in there and starting to prep it.” As of Saturday, Brighton had opened five of its eight lifts.

A second storm system was expected to blow into Utah beginning Saturday evening, bringer colder, albeit dry, air.

DeSmet said this storm could also bring additional snow, with the potential for lake effect snow, but that the dry air “might be a limiting factor.”

Forecasters, he said, expect trace amounts to 2 inches of snow for eastern Tooele Valley benches and the western Salt Lake Valley, with accumulations possible near Utah Lake.

After that, a high pressure system will move back in, DeSmet said, bringing with it gradually warming temperatures.