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SALT LAKE CITY — A winter storm warning remains in effect for northern Utah as heavy snow continues to pummel parts of the Wasatch Front.
Lake-effect snow was hitting Tooele County, the west side of the Salt Lake Valley and northern Utah County on Tuesday morning, leading to several crashes and snow-packed roads.
"Snow will linger through late Tuesday evening and early Wednesday as we see some lake effect kick in," said KSL Chief Meteorologist Kevin Eubank. "This storm is moisture-rich, which means snow totals will be near 12 inches on the valley floor and up to 18 inches on the benches. Mountains will see 2 to 3 feet of snow, with dangerous road conditions and elevated avalanche danger."
A semitruck rollover near Scipio about 7:40 a.m. forced the closure of northbound I-15 for about 90 minutes. No injuries were reported.
By 10:30 a.m., the Utah Highway Patrol had responded to 134 incidents — mainly slide-offs — on the freeways statewide.
Off we go into day 2 of the spring/winter storm! ❄️
— Karah Brackin (@KB_ON_TV) April 4, 2023
We're in Sandy. Roads are covered with that chunky, icy kind of snow.
Driving 20 mph tops. @KSL5TV#utwxpic.twitter.com/ol9fGlsWBK
Little Cottonwood Canyon remains closed
The Utah Department of Transportation announced Tuesday morning that Little Cottonwood Canyon would likely remain closed for a second straight day. The canyon did not open Monday. And UDOT now says "it is unlikely that the road" between the mouth of the canyon and Snowbird's first entry gate will open Tuesday.
"This is definitely a record-setting winter," said UDOT spokesman John Gleason. "I just spoke with our crew and they say they don't remember a day in April where we had to close the canyon all day. We still get storms in the springtime, but this year has been exceptional."
Both Snowbird and Alta said Tuesday midday that they would not be opening.
"Snowbird will not be opening for skiing and riding today due to ongoing avalanche mitigation for the road and resort. The Snowbird Village remains in Interlodge and highway SR-210 remains closed with no estimated time of opening," the resort tweeted.
Alta Ski Resort also announced Tuesday that it would be closed for the day.
"We have received 27 (inches) in the past 24 hours and 37 (inches) from this current storm. We are working towards an opening tomorrow. Thanks for your continued patience during this historically snowy winter," the resort tweeted.
Brighton Ski Resort tweeted at 9 a.m. that it had received 66 inches of new snow just this past week.
Big Cottonwood Canyon was also closed Tuesday morning but reopened by 9 a.m.
Plows are out at #BCC. Snow comes up to my ankles. We're seeing cars pack in here waiting for the reopening.
— Shelby Lofton (@newswithShelby) April 4, 2023
Still working to find out when #LCC might reopen. Lots of antsy skiers and snowboarders @KSL5TVpic.twitter.com/DzRlLAKjIr
Schools move online, delay start times
The Jordan School District announced Tuesday will be a virtual learning day due to the storm. East Hollywood High School, and Paradigm Schools in South Jordan will also have remote-learning days Tuesday.
All Granite School District, Murray School District and Iron County School District schools started the day with a two-hour delay.
The Monticello Academy in West Valley City originally announced it would delay the start of school for two hours, but later changed to a full remote-learning day.
"Morning preschool and kindergarten classes are canceled. Please check secondary bell schedules for specific class period start times. The school day will end at the regular time," according to the Iron County district.
Southern Utah University officials delayed classes and work until 10 a.m., while Summit Academy schools are going online.
The Salt Lake City School District announced that all of its schools would be open on time, but encouraged parents and students to be careful driving, and noted "we will be understanding of students who are late due to the weather."
Both Sandy and Draper administrators announced their city offices would not open until 10 a.m. and then "conditions will be evaluated throughout the morning to determine if any further delay is warranted." Salt Lake County government offices also delayed their opening until 10 a.m. Midvale announced its offices would remain closed until 11 a.m.
Get the weather forecast on the KSL Weather Page and check commute times on the KSL Traffic Page.
