Friday snowstorm causes avalanche in Utah County

A snowstorm that hit northern Utah on Christmas night continued into Friday and caused an avalanche that led to a search for up to six people. Authorities said one person who had been buried to his armpits managed to dig himself out and may be looking for the others.

The avalanche in Provo Canyon around 4:30 p.m. MST was reported by a snowshoer, who said the people, who had been snowboarding, may not have come out of it, Utah County sheriff's spokesman Dennis Harris said.

Rescue crews from Utah and Wasatch county as well as workers from Sundance were searching for the people or trying to confirm their whereabouts.

By Friday night, the storm had dropped he storm dumped at least two feet in mountain areas and blanketed lower regions in the Salt Lake Valley.

"Snow's everywhere, so the plows are just overwhelmed," Salt Lake County sheriff's spokeswoman Peggy Faulkner said.

Mountain areas got the brunt of the accumulation, with some getting more than a foot, but the Salt Lake Valley also saw significant snow. Salt Lake City International Airport had 11 inches by early afternoon and other areas, especially those closer to the Great Salt Lake, were seeing even more.

By Friday night around 30 inches had fallen in the Wasatch Front valleys, with more on the way, said National Weather Service forecaster Chris Brenchley.

The weather service reported that Big and Little Cottonwood canyons, about 25 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, could get as much as six feet of new snow by Saturday.

The snow seemed to be a blessing to skiers, but it also restricted access. The roads into Big Cottonwood Canyon and Little Cottonwood Canyon southeast of Salt Lake City were closed Friday morning, although Big Cottonwood Canyon did open for vehicles with four-wheel drive and chains and Utah Transit Authority buses.

The Little Cottonwood Canyon road remained closed all day due to avalanche danger.

Traffic along interstates 15 and 80 was slowed because of minor accidents, but both of the state's major arteries remained open.

At Snowbird in Little Cottonwood Canyon, the slopes were limited to guests already staying at the resort. Supervisor Tandy Jensen said the resort gave the skiers who were there free lift tickets for the day.

Jensen, who lives in Sandy, got stuck at the resort Thursday and said she'd be spending Friday night there, too, as she waited for the storm to let up.