Powerful storm rocks Wasatch Front

Team Coverage A heavy snowstorm pounded northern Utah today and made driving an adventure.

Troopers say the storm that dumped up to a foot and a half of snow in the valleys contributed to 340 accidents, mostly slide-offs. Some were much more serious, however, sending motorists to hospitals, some of them with life-threatening injuries.

Driving wasn't the only thing that was a challenge today. Just walking around was tough. Jogging was even harder. Some braved the snow on two-wheels. Others left the driving to UTA bus drivers or TRAX.

Planes and jets were able to land and take off at Salt Lake International Airport thanks to crews that de-iced them and plows that kept the runways clear.

An army of residents and workers for cities, counties and the state had the big job of clearing the snow. People who have snowblowers were loving their machines. Downtown, crews used small tractors with plows to clear sidewalks. And the big snowplows were out in force to clear roads and freeways.

Kevin Morford, a UDOT snowplow operator, said, "We're trying to make the roads safe for the traveling public as well as our families, because our families all travel these roads as well."

Snowplow crews started about 3 a.m. and they've been plowing ever since.

This storm is probably the biggest of the season so far, and it caused a lot of trouble.

If you didn't have the day off, you might have been like this resident trying to get out of the house in a hurry. "Yeah, I was supposed to be in 20 minutes ago, but I'll be a little late," said Bill Martin, of Millcreek.

If you had the luxury of not being on the job today, then you can gloat at the fact that you didn't need to be anywhere, while others struggled in the snow. "I feel very sorry for them. I'm very happy that I'm at home and I can play in the snow and dig myself out and we're good," Millcreek resident Lisa Westbrook said.

Nearly 12 inches fell in Ogden and Davis County. That's after a major storm hit their area hard a few weeks ago. One accident involving a car and a tractor-trailer on I-15 in Weber County looked pretty bad, but no one was hurt.

Also, drivers in the Salt Lake Valley slid all over the place because of the slushy roads. A serious accident on I-215 and I-80 sent a 47-year-old man to the hospital with possible life-threatening injuries.

One plow driver we spoke to said one pass is just not enough. "In fact, I've already been by a couple properties I did earlier this morning and they need it again. I'm a little bit behind today," he said.

Troopers, who've been busy since 5 a.m., say caution is essential. "Slow down, give themselves distance between vehicles and realize when they do see an accident on the interstate, move over the best you can and give us some room to work," said Utah Highway Patrol Lt. John Mitchell.

In Utah County, tow truck drivers had a long day hauling people off the freeway after slide-offs and wrecks. "It buries us, as far as business. A lot of slide-offs, a lot of people coming in for estimates," explained Tony, of Martin's Collision Repair in Orem.

Multiple accidents on I-15 near Spanish Fork Canyon closed parts of the highway for a couple of hours. UHP says the various accidents involved more than 20 vehicles, and a double tanker was involved in one of the accidents. In all, about seven people were transported to local hospitals.

For people trying to get up Little or Big Cottonwood canyons, chains or snow tires were required.

Since many people did not want to drive in these conditions, the TRAX system was extra packed. "Lots more crowded. I usually take it at this time and there's, like, five people in my car. Today it was really crowded, and they were checking tickets, and they never do that," TRAX rider Nicole Bourgerie said.

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