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SALT LAKE CITY — Winter weather once again caused headaches for Utah drivers Saturday morning, and more snow is expected in the next few days.
UDOT spokesman John Gleason said plows have been running all morning cleaning up for the latest storm that caused dozens of minor accidents and slide-offs. Others dealt with major delays upwards of an hour, especially in canyons.
“It’s probably just a good time to stay home if you don’t have to be out on the roads,” Gleason said. “If you do have to be on the roads, just take it slow. … You’re definitely going to want to make sure you’re equipped with four-wheel-drive or chains.”
A man calling into KSL Radio's "Outdoors with Tim Hughes" said officers on I-80 were inspecting cars to make sure they had chains or four-wheel-drive before entering Parleys Canyon.
UDOT issued several travel alerts in Utah for Saturday that could carry further into the weekend.
— Cottonwood canyons: Big and Little Cottonwood canyons are restricted to vehicles with chains or four-wheel-drive only.
— I-80 at Parleys Canyon: Semitrucks restricted to chains or four-wheel-drive eastbound.
— State Route 143 in Iron County: Closed from milepost 17 to 28, past Brian Head to Mammoth Creek.
— Park City: Chains or four-wheel-drive are required for all vehicles on SR-224 at Marsac Avenue in Park City.
Glen Merrill, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said snow was expected to taper off in valley areas around noon, but snow was expected in the mountains along the I-15 corridor throughout Saturday afternoon.
The National Weather Service tweeted that the Salt Lake Airport had already received six inches of snow as of noon — one tenth off the Jan. 21 record set in 2008.
Another storm is expected to begin Sunday and carry through into Tuesday bringing a mix of rain and snow.
With the next storm on its way and with the conditions from Saturday morning's storm, Gleason said drivers should prepare in advance before hitting the roads.
“It’s Utah weather,” he said, “It shouldn’t be a mystery that we’re going to get these types of storms.”
