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Dina Freedman and Lance Bandley Reporting The calendar may say April, but it looks more like February. Snow and slush now blanket much of Northern Utah.
We've had downed lines, split trees and a messy commute. These sloppy conditions have been with us all day. There is so much water in this storm and it's just cold enough to be snow. That makes the snow real heavy and it's taking its toll on power lines throughout the valley.
Crews are busy, but several power outages are taking place now with more likely.
People woke up to heavily falling snow and a troublesome drive to anywhere, whether it was work or school, or even just hanging around.
Ski resorts received over a foot of new snow, but it's not the fluffy stuff Utah is famous for, 16 inches at Snowbasin melted down to over two inches of water.
In some areas there was a rain-snow mix, contributing to an accident along along right shoulder of the road on I-215 near North Temple. For the most part, there haven't been many serious accidents, unlike past storms.
It appears commuters, at least, are better prepared this year. Officials say there have been far fewer crashes.
"Yeah, well there have been a bunch. We have had 12,000 through March. But last year we had 20,000," says UDOT spokesman Nile Easton.
Easton says last year had many storms that happened during the nightly commute, which can cause serious problems. He says people also tend to drive slower in the morning.
"A lot of times you get people rushing home. People aren't so much in a hurry to get to work, but they are to get home," Easton says. "If we have those evening snowstorms, that's where we see lots of accidents."
In terms of traffic, probably the most frustrating drive of the day was the commute from Davis County to Salt Lake City.
Bruce Ashcroft, Kaysville Commuter: "It took about an hour from Kaysville to Salt Lake. We're used to it. It's just Utah weather. Tomorrow it will be 50."
Typically, we do have an April storm, in fact we average six inches of snow for Salt Lake. But from airport observations, we haven't seen more than an inch of April snow since 2003.
So what do people here really think about this business of having days in the 70's then back to pseudo winter?
Kris Jorgensen, SLC Resident: "It's crazy, it's a little bit difficult for me because I walk and ride my bike to work every day, so it can kind of put a little bit of a hassle on things."
Paul Tanabe, SLC Resident: "Well, we're pretty much used to it, living here for thirty years. We've had snow in June before, so it's not that big of a deal, it will end quickly."
Wayne Burningham, Salt Lake Driver: "I just returned from Puerto Vallarta yesterday, so it's a little bit of a change from there. It won't last long."
Mildred Brauer, Prepared for the weather: "You're back in the combat boots. I try to deal with it. It is so beautiful to see these mountains covered with snow, and it doesn't really last that long. I bet the sun will be shining tomorrow."
