SALT LAKE CITY — A winter storm that moved into Utah Monday afternoon forced traffic delays, road closures, power outages and accidents across the state.
Heavy snowfall and moderate wind began around 5 p.m. in Salt Lake City. One to four inches were expected to accumulate on the valley floor overnight and up to 12 inches on the benches along the Wasatch Front, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather likely contributed to 73 accidents that happened after 3 p.m. from Weber County to Utah County, said Utah Highway Patrol trooper Todd Johnson. Seven of those accidents caused mostly minor injuries.
However, in the most serious accident, a 28-year-old man died and a 29-year-old woman suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries, said West Valley Police Sgt. Mike Powell. They were traveling south in a small passenger vehicle on U-11 at about 6800 South when they were struck head-on by a full-size northbound pickup truck. Slushy conditions likely contributed to the crash, Powell said. The truck driver was treated on the scene.
Northbound I-15 traffic near Beaver was completely shut down due to weather and a number of accidents, according to the Utah Department of Transportation. It was diverted into Beaver throughout the closure. Southbound traffic was not closed but four-wheel drive or chains were required on the slow-moving road.
Several northern Utah roads were also closed due to inclement weather and avalanche danger.
Eastbound 1-80 was closed at the I-215 junction in the mouth of Parley's Canyon but has reopened to vehicles with four-wheel drive or chains, UDOT reported. Westbound traffic was open to vehicles with four-wheel drive or chains.
SR-143 between Brian Head and Mammoth Creek was also closed.
Little Cottonwood Canyon was closed to all vehicles because of avalanche danger until 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to CanyonAlerts.org. Buses brought people down the canyon at 9:30 p.m.
Big Cottonwood Canyon was restricted to vehicles with chains or four-wheel drive.
The snowfall also caused isolated power outages along the Wasatch Front, said Rocky Mountain Power spokesman David Eskelsen. At the height of the outages about 1,700 customers were without power.