UHP reports 140 crashes in icy Wasatch Front commute

Several inches of snow cover a Cottonwood Heights neighborhood on Wednesday.

Several inches of snow cover a Cottonwood Heights neighborhood on Wednesday. (Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News)


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SALT LAKE CITY — Lake effect snow created a slick and slow morning commute along the Wasatch Front.

The Utah Highway Patrol respond to 140 crashes on the state freeway's between midnight and 2:30 p.m., with the majority of incidents in Salt Lake, Tooele and northern Utah counties.

The snow prompted the Utah Department of Transportation to issue an advisory Wednesday morning, urging anyone who could delay travel to do so.

UDOT spokesman John Gleason asked anyone with flexibility in their schedule to avoid the morning commute. Snow and cold temperatures combined to create "incredibly slick conditions," with trouble spots all across the Wasatch Front.

From midnight through 8:30 a.m., the Utah Highway Patrol responded to 65 crashes. Troopers also responded to 51 public assists during that same time, which typically include someone who has slid off the road but did not crash into a structure or another vehicle.

Four inches of snow were forecast in some areas before the storm tapered off around 9 a.m., according to KSL meteorologist Grant Weyman. The traction law in the Cottonwood Canyons was lifted by 10 a.m.

Get the complete forecast at the KSL Weather Center and check commute times at the KSL Traffic Center.

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Linda Williams is a web producer at KSL.com, helping to select and curate the stories published on the website each day. She has had an extensive career in Utah news.
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