Get set for storm No. 2

Round 1 of the weekend snowstorms walloped Utah County early Saturday, and Round 2 could end up nearly as bad, the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City reported.

The snowstorm beginning Friday night zeroed in on Utah County, with about a foot reported in Payson by mid-morning. Provo reported 8 inches and Spanish Fork, 8.5, meteorologist Alex Tardy said Saturday.

Sundance skiers likely cut through at least a foot of fresh powder, compared to the 7 to 9 inches reported in Cottonwood and Parleys canyon resorts.

But after a daylong reprieve, a system moving in from the California coast was expected to leave another 4 to 11 inches from Cedar City northward, with the heaviest snow falling in the Tooele and Salt Lake areas, Tardy said.

"Utah County was pretty much the winner," he said. "Tonight will put most places (there) up to close to 20 inches of snow."

The storm also will add to the 1 to 4 inches recorded in Davis, Salt Lake and Tooele areas, Tardy said.

"This could easily be a 12- to 18-hour snow event," Tardy said. "Even places that missed the snow last night, like the northern part of the Wasatch Front, should be getting the snow."

The weather likely will create some traffic headaches, as temperatures were expected to plunge into the 20s Saturday night, and stay

there today.

"It's cold enough that it's going to stick on the roads," Tardy said.

The first storm wave had Utah Highway Patrol troopers responding to several slide-offs Saturday, but none resulted in major injuries, Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Ted Tingey said.

A Fed-Ex truck jackknifed on I-15 near Payson Saturday morning, blocking a couple of lanes of traffic, Tingey said.

Several drivers avoided the gridlock by driving the wrong way on a nearby on-ramp, witnesses told the Deseret Morning News. An incident-management truck quickly arrived at the scene and directed drivers to stop disobeying traffic laws.

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Contributing: Leigh Dethman

E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com