A heavy spring snow slams Wasatch Front

OREM — Nature added insult to injury on tax day Monday, hitting the Wasatch Front with a spring snowstorm that left up to 3 inches in some Utah County cities.

The south end of the county received the brunt of the storm's fury. Payson reported 3 inches of snowfall, and Santaquin reported 2 inches.

Provo received an inch of snow at the Brigham Young University measuring station, and Spanish Fork had 1.5 inches.

The storm peaked just in time for the afternoon commute, making the drive home for many Utah County residents a challenging one — but not a very dangerous one, overall.

Utah County dispatchers received reports of accidents throughout the county on Monday afternoon but said not one was worse than a simple fender-bender.

To the north, Salt Lake City was basking in 56-degree temperatures at 4 a.m. Monday. But by 7:45 a.m., it was 36 degrees and snowing — with wind gusts.

"It started to snow and temperatures plummeted," said Kevin Eubank, meteorologist at KSL.

The cold weather slowed the snowmelt that had been threatening to make streams in northern Utah jump their banks. At least for a time, the stream flows dropped.

But it also meant that snow piled up deeper, adding to the eventual runoff.

"We've got a foot in the mountains, the Wasatch Range" from the storm, Eubank said. "Valley locations are ranging right now (Monday afternoon) from an inch to about 5 inches in some spots."

Bountiful's higher bench areas had an accumulation of 8 inches.

"This was a real heavy, wet snow," he said.

From Wednesday through Friday, the area should have warmer weather. Then another storm system may approach.

Brian McInerney, hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City, said said the cold, wet weather, while it eases any concerns of drought, was "kind of a temporary patch to the long-term problem" of potential flooding.

Emigration Creek was one of the biggest worries, and the colder temperatures reduced flows there. It also slowed the snowmelt throughout northern Utah.

The region's snowpack should have begun melting three weeks ago, he said. Instead, "we're still adding to it."

That compresses the window during which the melt can take place. As mid-spring approaches, the period when warmer temperatures are inevitable, Utah also becomes susceptible to thunderstorms.