Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Kids across the Wasatch Front took advantage of the first storm of the season this weekend, but it wasn't all fun. Heavy drifts toppled trees and knocked out power to hundreds of homes. Nearly a foot of snow fell in some parts of the state.
The flakes were welcomed by some, but for others they provided a glimpse of the winter problems and headaches that are ahead.
For some, the warm weather lasted way too long.
Karina Hipolito said, "All summer it was kind of getting boring." For her, the snow was a very welcome change.
Dylan told us, "It's fluffy, and it's good for snowball fights."
And it was good for sledding in Mount Ogden Park "We're sledding on these snowboard-type sleds. It's really fun and we made jumps," Dylan said.
Nearly a foot of snow fell in West Haven. Pictures sent in by viewers show rulers reaching 11 ½ inches into the snow. Others show barbecues and patio tables covered, a sign of how quickly good weather changed to bad.
In Bountiful, heavy drifts toppled trees. And power to homes on snowy streets in Riverdale, Roy, Salt Lake, Ogden and Bountiful was knocked out, proving Utah's first snow couldn't be fun and games for everyone.
Slick roads caused dozens of crashes and slide-offs Sunday, especially in Box Elder County. Utah Highway Patrol tells us there were 22 crashes and 25 slide-off near Willard Bay.
Most of the accidents were minor.
The worst involved a Volkswagen. Troopers say the driver was going too fast and lost control. The car slid off the road, hit the divider, then came back onto the road, where it was hit by an oncoming truck.
Both drivers and their passengers were taken to the hospital for serious and critical injuries. Northbound I-15 was shut down for about two hours and traffic was diverted.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
