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Samantha Hayes reporting In the past five days it seems as if some Utahns have shoveled more snow than all of last winter. And that snow, combined with low temperatures is creating a hidden hazard on Utah's roads.
"We've been waiting since last November."
Wait no more.
"It will probably be gone by Friday, so we'll take everything we can get."
So far, its been enough for a little sledding, and plenty of shoveling.
Not fun right now is driving. If you were out on the roads Monday you may have had your own slippery experience or waited in line as another accident was cleaned up.
Larry Helquist/ Salt Lake County Public Works: "We usually plan for something the end of October, first of November. That's usually when we'll get our first major snow storm."
Snow plows scraped and dump trucks sanded to stay ahead of snow accumulation, but many drivers still had trouble.
A car and truck collided on I-80, a semi jackknifed near Tooele, and overall traffic moved slowly around the valley.
The Utah Department of Transportation has been monitoring it all.
Denny Simmons UDOT Traffic Operations Supervisor: "You have your people who have been driving all summer. They forget how to drive in the snow."
Utah Highway Patrol reports 73 accidents Monday, as of 10 pm. Thirteen of those with injuries, 53 property damage crashes and seven slide-offs.
Denny Simmons UDOT Traffic Operations Supervisor: "We are going to prepare for black ice on the roads and the bridges as the temperatures drop and it kind of clears out."
County Public Works wants to remind folks to look out for snow plows. Don't park on the street--that makes it hard for them to maneuver-- and don't try to pass them on the road.
