ST. GEORGE — The red rocks and palm trees so familiar to Utah's Dixie are blanketed with white — something unfamiliar to the folks who live here.
Close to 3 inches of snow fell in the St. George area during a rare winter storm. But things should clear up in Utah's Dixie during the coming days, according to National Weather Service forecasts.
Not every part of the state is so lucky.
The NWS expects a cold storm to move through northern Utah Friday, dumping heavy snow through the northern mountains and a potential for heavy snow along the Wasatch Front. The storm is expected to hit Salt Lake and Utah counties by noon and could continue to cause problems throughout the entire evening commute. Lake-effect snowfall is also possible in Davis and northern Salt Lake counties as the cold air moves across the Great Salt Lake.
The high temperature in Salt Lake City is expected to be 31 degrees, but may only reach 19 degrees on Saturday.
Storms like the ones that have hit the state this past week are expected in northern Utah. But snow in Utah's Dixie is not.
"The last time I saw it snow like this was 1995," Rosemary Chang said as she stepped outside the St. George airport on Thursday.
In front of her was the breathtaking panorama of snow-covered redrock.
In nearby Las Vegas, flights resumed at the airport. Jets had earlier been diverted to the Salt Lake City International Airport after a record-setting storm forced McCarran International Airport to shut down Wednesday. Flights to St. George were delayed or canceled because of bad weather.
School was canceled Thursday in the Washington County School District because of the snowy conditions.
Responding to car crashes caused by the weather, St. George Police Sgt. Craig Harding just followed the tracks in the snow.
"They went down Valley View Drive, up over the curb, over the sidewalk where a car sideswiped a palm tree then ran into a wall, back out across both lanes and then ended up over next to the curb where it sat with a broken back wheel," he said Thursday.
The driver lost control in the snow, but was not injured. Harding said they had several situations of drivers unfamiliar with snowy conditions sliding through intersections on icy roads or not even clearing the snow from their cars.
Others were taking it in stride. On the St. George Boulevard, teenagers were seen getting into snowball fights.
"I think I'll build a snowman," Chang said, stepping into the snow.
Winter weather also ripped through Utah County Thursday with Alpine and Pleasant Grove both reporting 7 inches of snow. Lehi had 4 inches and Provo reported 3 inches of snow by Thursday afternoon.
The storm also had a small effect on the south end of Salt Lake County, with parts of Sandy reporting close to 4 inches.
Contributing: Ethan Thomas. E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com