A winter storm that arrived two months before winter technically starts dropped snow in northern and southwestern Utah on Tuesday, creating dangerous driving conditions, knocking out power and closing some schools.
Lake effect snow may be possible across some parts of the Wasatch Front early Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. How much snow may fall remained unclear, however.
A winter storm warning remains in effect for Utah’s mountains through Wednesday at midnight, with winter weather advisories for valleys in central and southern Utah.
In Juab, Millard, Beaver and Iron counties, a hard freeze is likely early Wednesday, as well as near Brigham City, Logan, the San Rafael Swell and Capitol Reef National Park. The weather service urged people to protect pipes and sensitive plants.
In Salt Lake City, it will be mostly sunny and in the mid-40s Wednesday before another storm moves in, bringing with it a 50% chance of snow and temperatures in the low 40s. St. George this week will see sunny skies and temperatures slowly rising to the mid-70s by Saturday.
Tuesday storm
Early Tuesday, almost 13,000 customers were without power, mostly in Cache County, Rocky Mountain Power reported. Wet, heavy snow fell on trees that still have their leaves, which knocked down some power lines. By 4 p.m., about 800 customers were without power, mostly in Logan and the surrounding areas, according to the utility’s website.
The Logan City Police Department posted several photos on Twitter showing how messy the streets were, advising that multiple agencies were “busy prioritizing and dealing with issues around town.”
The National Weather Service reported that 11.5 inches of snow fell on Logan overnight Monday into Tuesday. Other snow totals included 11 inches at Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon; 7 inches in Cedar City; 4 inches in Enoch; 3.3 inches in Park City; 2.7 inches in Newcastle; 1.8 inches in Oakley; 1.5 inches in Oak City; and 1 inch in Kanab.
Cache County announced that school start times would be delayed by two hours, then later said four schools would remain closed for the day — Mountainside Elementary School in Mendon; Ridgeline High School in Millville; Spring Creek Middle School in Providence; and Wellsville Elementary School.
Class start times also were delayed at Utah State University and at the Dugway School in Tooele County School District.
Little if any snow fell in the Salt Lake City area Tuesday, though rain made roads slick.
In Big Cottonwood Canyon, Guardsman Pass was closed “until further notice,” according to the Utah Department of Transportation. At Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon, a time-lapse video showed about 18 inches of snow falling at the resort over the course of the storm.
In Utah County, the Alpine Loop between American Fork and Provo Canyon also was closed because of snow.