Storm warnings eased traffic hazards

SALT LAKE CITY -- The sun shone Wednesday in the aftermath of Tuesday night's storm, but that wasn't enough to brighten the mood of some people who felt the warnings in advance of the storm were overkill.

People say storm over hyped

People are especially critical of the warnings that came by social media, like Facebook and Twitter. But in the big picture, did all those warnings pay off? Some say they did.

Predictions were accurate: There were high winds, blowing snow, and it's much colder. But the snow storm fizzled out about 8 o'clock in most places. Accumulation varied from several inches to none.

On KSL's Facebook page, one person wrote, "What Blizzard? Didn't snow here at all."

Another man posted, "Weak Storm!"

Another man scoffed and sarcastically typed, "Nice call: Worst forecast in a decade."

It isn't hard to find people willing to talk about the storm hype.

Lynda Harvey said, "I thought it was a little anti-climactic honestly. They were saying, blizzard, it's going to be crazy. And I went home and I was like, 'eh?'"

UDOT says warning helped with commute

But the warnings were a big deal for commuters. UDOT tracked the traffic. Traffic engineers say the warnings and early closures prompted rush hour to peak about 3 o'clock Tuesday afternoon. That's two hours earlier than normal. Because the heavy snow hit just after 5 p.m., UDOT estimates commuters saved 30,000 hours, collectively, by not driving at the height of the storm.

UDOT traffic operations engineer Robert Miles said, "Because of the way the storm came in and the temperatures we're dealing with, we feel we moved a lot of problems off the roadway, didn't have to deal with problems we would otherwise have had to deal with."

The forecasting did what it was supposed to, said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Seaman.

"For the public, a blizzard may mean 2 feet of snow and being hunkered down for days. But that's not exactly what a blizzard means. It means you're going to have a period of snow with very windy conditions," which is what northern Utah saw Tuesday during the afternoon commute -- and on a high-travel day before Thanksgiving. "We got the word out, and we didn't have as many problems," Seaman said. Most Wasatch Front areas saw 3 to 6 inches of snow that fell with wind in the 20-30 mph range.

UHP reports dozens of accidents

By 9 p.m. Tuesday, the UHP had responded to seven injury crashes, 88 with property damage and had reports of 116 motorists who slid off the road or needed other assistance. Two UHP vehicles were hit or damaged, though no troopers were injured, the UHP said.

"I think it turned out very well," UHP trooper Todd Johnson said of the forecasting and effect on traffic late Tuesday. "I think because of the preparation, the information, that people did listen and those that could stay off the road did."

That made conditions safer for people who did have to travel, Johnson said.

"I think it's just getting the information out there rather than underplay it and have the storm turn out worse," Johnson said.

Things are now back to normal for shoppers in Salt Lake City.

Ernest Johnson, of Midvale, said, "There was a lot of hype, but I'm glad someone told me and warned me."

And Susan Brinkerhoff, of Salt Lake City, said, "I think it's good to make people aware, so they're more cautious."

Rocky Mountain Power said most reported power outages are in the northern part of the state and into Idaho. In Tremonton, 527 customers are without power, with 208 outages in the Salt Lake area.

The National Weather Service said freezing temperatures and high pressure mean inversion and bad air conditions will continue to build through Friday or Saturday with more snow in the forecast for Sunday. "It's going to take a pretty good event to clear it out," Seaman said. "Sunday should clear it out."

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Story written with contributions from Richard Piatt, Steve Fidel, Randall Jeppesen, Courtney Orton and Andrew Adams.

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