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Winter weather swept into parts of Utah Saturday, bringing a small hint of what's to come later this season and causing problems for some motorists.
Jeff Nigbur with the Department of Public Safety said as of 10 p.m. Saturday, Highway 14 from Cedar City to Hatch was closed due to an eight-car pileup caused by heavy snow and high wind. He also said Interstate 84 in northern Utah was closed near the Idaho border, from milepost 242 to milepost 275, due to heavy snow and accidents.
In the Salt Lake Valley, snow wasn't sticking Saturday evening, but it did leave the roads wet.
The day started off sunny in most areas, but dark clouds rolled in late this morning and early this afternoon. Since then it's been a mix of rain and snow, plus a little fog.
Earlier in the day, we found young snow enthusiasts in Bountiful taking the opportunity for snowball fights, sledding, and just goofing around with their buddies while bundled up.
A boy named Corbin said, "We knew it was supposed to snow today. We didn't know it would start now." Aaron said, "I like to go sledding and do tricks like sled on my head."
Conditions weren't perfect. There wasn't quite enough for smooth sailing on a sled. But slippery grass and a little perseverance helped.
All around there were signs the snow was unexpected, like flowers covered in frost. Chelsea Angelbuer said, "It's a little bit early, but I don't mind."
Forecasters say this early taste of winter will be short-lived. Temperatures will jump back up by mid-week, making every flake and every snowball that much more important.
Corbin said, "I'm just a cold weather person."
Even though it snowed today, skiing is still a little ways off. Deer Valley hopes to open in early December; Snowbasin right after Thanksgiving, and Solitude is aiming for Nov. 14.
As of 10 p.m. Saturday, 5 inches of snow had fallen in Brighton, 2 inches in Park City, and 1 inch in Tooele and on the Bountiful bench. Snow was expected to continue into Sunday.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
