Heavy snow puts brakes on traffic

Heavy snow put life on hold for several hours along the Wasatch Front on Tuesday as canyons, roads and even a college campus were shut down.

Hundreds of commuters, including lawmakers on Capitol Hill, got a late start to the day because of highway backups and numerous slide-offs.

Some commuters were calling Tuesday's storm one of the worst they've ever seen as more than six inches fell in just a few hours in some places.

"It swept through and got everybody this time," said Mike Conger, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City.

Conger said the well-advertised snow storm moved quickly and left a lot of moisture in its path.

"This is the wettest time of the year, so there's nothing atypical about this storm," he said.

The cold front first hit Cache Valley and moved south, bringing 3-8 inches to the Salt Lake Valley floor and about a foot of snow to the mountains. Brighton Ski Resort boasted the highest snowfall for the day with 14 inches. Other ski resorts reported similar numbers, most of them receiving about a foot of new snow.

The quick accumulation prompted a noon closure of the University of Utah campus, including its Salt Lake County satellite locations. Officials sent employees and students home, with the exception of those working at the University Hospital, clinics and other essential facilities.

Traffic was dramatically affected during the morning commute. Crews in Salt Lake City had salted the roads and were ready when the storm hit, but the low temperatures Tuesday morning made snow removal challenging, said Nikki Bown, spokeswoman for Salt Lake City Public Services.

"We were ready for this storm. We had full force out when the storm hit," Bown said. "It was the coldest time of the day. ... It hit and stuck immediately."

The Utah Department of Transportation had similar problems with the rapid snowfall, which started about 8:15 a.m.

Big and Little Cottonwood canyons were closed for several hours. I-80 through Parley's Canyon was shut down for about two hours when plows couldn't keep up with the snow, said Nile Easton, spokesman for the Utah Department of Transportation.

Several jack-knifed semitrailer trucks also halted traffic in the canyon, causing many to turn around. Other areas required chains, snow tires or four-wheel drive for passage.