Dangerous driving conditions could accompany approaching storm
Oct 11, 2021, 6:52 PM | Updated: 9:06 pm
FILE: Central Utah was blasted by a winter storm, causing dangerous road conditions on I-15 in Beaver, Iron and Millard counties, the Utah Highway Patrol said on Wednesday, Oct 28, 2009. Photo: Deseret News
NEPHI, Utah — Weather watchers say people need to be prepared for more than just cold temperatures when the latest storm comes to call. Particularly, they say people driving in central and southern parts of the state will see dangerous driving conditions.
The storm is expected to start dropping rain on the valley floors and snow in the mountains Monday night. National Weather Service Lead Meteorologist Christine Kruse said this storm could be deceiving for drivers headed from Salt Lake or Utah counties heading south. That’s because, Kruse said, the storm might not seem so severe in northern Utah.
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“We’re not expecting much, if any snow on the valley floors in the Wasatch Front with this storm. The coldest air is going to stay west of us, in this situation.”
The northern mountains, however, will see a big boost to the snowpack.
“The Wasatch Mountains, particularly south of I-80, look like they’re going to get somewhere between six to 12 inches of snow,” Kruse said.
However, when drivers get closer to Juab County, Kruse said everything will be different. She expects drivers will see a lot of snow along the I-15 corridor, with conditions that drivers haven’t seen in a long time.
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“If people are traveling south of Nephi to Cedar City, or on I-70 from the junction with I-15 over to the swell, it’s going to be winter driving conditions,” she says. “We’re not talking mild. We’re talking more like January conditions.”
Kruse says parts of the state could see snowfall lasting through the entire day on Tuesday, and possibly into Wednesday morning.
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“If you have any travel plans, you want to have your winter survival kit in your car, and you want to check in with UDOT (Utah Department of Transportation) and see what those road conditions look like.”
