Northern Utah's smog and its dearth of snow both switched over the millennial weekend with a series of storms sweeping out the gunky air and depositing up to 2 feet of snow at some ski resorts.
"We changed the year and we changed the weather patterns," said William J. Alder, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service regional office in Salt Lake City.Counting a weak one that swept through and deposited snow in the Four Corners on Saturday, Utah experienced "three storms in three days," Alder said.
The next storm, on Saturday night and Sunday brought snow throughout the state. It was followed by one Sunday night, ending Monday, that made driving hazardous in the northern region.
Much of the snow blanket that greeted Monday's commuters came from the DLE, the "Dreaded Lake Effect" that funnels moisture from the Great Salt Lake.
Snow depth totals for the series includes: Holladay, 9 inches; Salt Lake City Avenues, 7; Salt Lake Airport, 41/2; Kearns, 6; Sandy, 5: Ogden, 7; North Salt Lake, 8.
In Big Cottonwood Canyon, 15 inches fell on the Spruces. In Little Cottonwood, Alta and Snowbird reveled in 23 inches.
The La Sal Mountains near Moab added 23 inches to their shiny luster, while Brian Head Resort in Iron County accumulated 15 inches on Sunday.
Layton's snowfall amounted to 11 inches in two days. Snow levels weren't as high in Utah County, generally around 4 or 5 inches. Cache County residents shoveled 5 inches from their walks.
Clearing weather Monday was expected to bring icy temperatures, down to 15 or 20 degrees. The next impulses should be on Wednesday and Friday, Alder said.