This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A winter storm fulfilled some white Christmas wishes across Utah on Monday, ushering in colder temperatures and a soft place for Santa to land his sleigh.
More than a foot of snow fell in some mountain locations and between 2 and 5 inches dusted valley floors, National Weather Service data shows.
And there's more on the way.
"It looks like we'll cloud up and see snow again Wednesday over much of the state, continuing into Thursday," NWS meteorologist Pete Wilensky said.
Utah could get a break from the stormy weather Friday or Saturday, he said.
On Christmas Eve, snow fell steadily across Salt Lake County and across northern Utah mountain passes from mid-day and into the evening.
Utah resorts got the biggest boosts, with Alta and Snowbird adding 13 inches The Canyons in Park City also got 13 inches. In Northern Utah, the Powder Mountain resort recorded 11 inches of new snow and Snowbasin, 10 inches.
American Fork recorded the most snowfall of any Utah city, with 8 inches. Central Utah's Fillmore was a close second with 7 inches. Snow totals in most Wasatch Front cities ranged from 1 to 5 inches, including 5 inches in Draper, 4 inches in Sandy and Provo. Bountiful got 3 inches of snow and 2 inches fell in Salt Lake City.
By about 6 p.m. Monday, slick and slushy roads had drivers slipping and sliding from Ogden to Provo. By 9 p.m., police had responded to 119 crashes in Salt Lake County, 27 in Utah County and nine in Davis County, UHP spokesman Lt. Todd Johnson said.
No fatalities were reported and 22 accidents resulted in injuries. Skiers may be rejoicing over the new fallen snow, but the Utah Avalanche Center on Monday had advised backcountry travelers to exercise extreme caution. The risk for dangerous snow slides was rated at "Considerable" for the Logan and Salt Lake area mountains as well as northeastern Utah's Uinta Mountains. The Provo and Ogden area slopes rated "moderate" for avalanche risk.
Air quality for Christmas Day rated "Green," or healthy grades, statewide, according to the Utah Division of Air Quality.
Salt Lake City expected a yuletide high of 32 degrees after an overnight low of 19; Ogden looked for 29 and 17 degrees, respectively; Provo 31 and 18; Logan 25 and 14; Wendover 31 and 18; Duchesne 22 and 12; Cedar City 33 and 10; St. George 45 and 31; and Moab 29 and 12 degrees.