Snow hits Utah from Ogden to St. George

It's not quite hell freezing over, but it's snowing at Purgatory.

"I'm looking out at a winter wonderland," Washington County Sheriff Kirk Smith said Monday as he looked out his office window at the Purgatory Jail.

"I'm also looking out at a wreck on the hill," he said.

A couple of inches of snow fell in Utah's Dixie Monday, snarling traffic in St. George.

"It started snowing during the Super Bowl," St. George Police Sgt. Craig Harding said. "When I woke up this morning, there was 2 inches of snow."

The biggest problem St. George police have dealt with is black ice causing cars to slide off the roads.

"I've only seen it like this one other time in my 25-year career. We'll get snow," Harding said. "It'll be gone three hours later. I've only seen it like this where it stayed and caused problems one other time."

Along the Wasatch Front, areas around Salt Lake City got pounded with snow. As much as 14 inches of snow was reported in North Ogden and Alpine. About 11 inches was reported in West Jordan and South Jordan. It made for a miserable commute, particularly in Davis County. However, the Utah Highway Patrol said there weren't many accidents.

"We haven't had any major incidents," said UHP trooper Cameron Roden. "Hopefully, we last throughout the day."

School bus service in the Ogden Valley has been suspended, and several schools have cancelled classes for the day.

The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City said snow showers were likely to continue through the day, with a 20 percent chance of snow in the forecast tonight. Another storm is likely to move into the state on Wednesday.

---

E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com