Utahns, weary from shoveling and driving through the white stuff, should get a break today.
But it could be something akin to the eye of a hurricane.
The Salt Lake Valley can expect more snow until mid-day today, then a calming effect should kick in until sometime on New Year's Eve. That's roughly 24 to 30 hours to restock, recharge and prepare for more.
KSL meteorologist Len Randolph expects another big storm to hit sometime between Thursday evening and Friday morning, calling it a potential "wall-banger."
Chris Gibson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Salt Lake office, said Utah hasn't seen regular snowstorms like these since the mid-1990s.
"This is an active pattern," he said. "It's going to be unsettled for at least five days."
Temperatures will be in the upper 30s for highs and the mid-to-upper 20s for lows the next two days.
While Salt Lakers were enjoying relatively mild weather Monday — Salt Lake City International Airport received just 2.5 inches of snow — their northern neighbors were enduring heavy snowfall and high winds. That weather closed roads, snarled traffic and forced tired snowplow drivers to clear roads they had cleared, in some cases, dozens of times already.
"Basically, we have need of every man, woman and child available with a CDL (commercial driver license) to plow," said Ogden Community Services director John Patterson. "It's really coming down up here."
Monday's storm, coming on the heels of the record-setting storm over the weekend, concentrated most of its fury from Centerville northward.
Layton had 7 inches of snow, as did Ogden. In contrast, Provo and Orem had 2 inches, Spanish Fork 3 and Nephi just 1 inch.
Hill Air Force Base partially closed down Monday afternoon because of worsening weather, except for essential operations, sending some 10,000 workers home in staggered shifts. That shutdown of "non-mission essential day shift operations" will continue through today's day-time shift as well.
The Utah Department of Transportation closed an eight-mile stretch of I-15 from Tremonton to Riverside for two hours due to high winds causing drifting snow and low visibility. Sardine Canyon between Brigham City and Wellsville was closed briefly around noon while crews cleaned up a jack-knifed semitrailer.
Cache Valley was hardest hit. Even when the roads were open, drive times were doubled or tripled as motorists made their way through the white.
"Our crews have been putting in long hours" keeping things clear, UDOT Region 1 (northern Utah) spokesman Andy Neff said.
High winds created snow drifts that shut down U-112 between Tooele City and Grantsville, and at least one of the county's snowplows got stuck in a drift, Tooele County emergency services director Wade Matthews said. Non-essential personnel at the U.S. Army Depot and chemical weapons incinerator were told to stay home Monday.
Some Wasatch Front residents were still without power Monday, and homeowners broke out their snow shovels yet again to clear their walks. The Home Depot at 2100 South and 300 West sold out of shovels and snow blowers as early as Friday morning. (An emergency shipment is expected within the next few days.)
Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson said although many of the power problems had been resolved, the city and Red Cross would continue to operate a shelter at the Sorenson Center until everyone had power again.
"We're not out of the woods, and we need to continue working together to make sure these challenges are overcome," Anderson said.
Salt Lake County road crews had started to clear residential streets Monday after focusing their efforts most of the weekend on primary streets and emergency access roads.
Those who managed municipal snow-removal crews summed up the situation in one word: exhausted.
"We have some tired people," said West Jordan public works director Don Bruey, who said the city had to switch to 12-hour shifts for the drivers of some 20 snowplows, many of them converted park vehicles and water tankers.
Drivers in some areas have been plowing 12 hours, going home for three, then going back on the roads for another 12.
"There were drivers that were out 24 hours and they wanted to keep going, but I said, 'Look, there's a limit as to how far coffee can take you,' " said Bountiful city manager Tom Hardy.
UDOT and cities are spending like sailors trying to keep up with the abundant precipitation. UDOT, in charge of clearing I-15 and other state roads, has spent $3.7 million since Christmas.
"We're just doing what we need to do and we'll worry about where the money is going to come from later," Hardy said. "We've blown through the better part of $100,000 in salt, equipment and overtime. You do that three or four times and it starts to add up to serious money."
And, just as residents have had to accustom themselves to driving in snow again, snowplow drivers have had to get used to it as well.
"It's been a long time since we've had a storm like this and I think our guys might be a little out of practice," Ogden Mayor Matt Godfrey said.
Contributing: Lynn Arave, Alan Edwards, Geoff Fattah and Josh Loftin.