Snowfall wreaks havoc during morning commute

SALT LAKE CITY — The first major snowfall of 2012 made for an adventurous commute Monday leaving cars and trucks strewn across roadways and drivers scrambling to maintain control on frozen streets across the Salt Lake Valley.

The National Weather Service reported up to 2 inches of accumulation in the Salt Lake Valley and Davis County areas, while the Ogden area received about a half inch, with just a trace of snow reported in Provo.

Despite the modest snow totals, the Utah Highway Patrol reported 275 to 300 weather-related accidents across the Wasatch Front, with about 250 of those occurring in Salt Lake County alone. The high number of crashes resulted in some major vehicle damage, but mostly minor injuries.

"My car started spinning as soon as I hit the curve," said Jeff Marshall, who lost control on a snow-slicked road. "I tried to correct, and correcting just made me slide more."

Another driver, Dennis Steed, had a similar experience as he tried to navigate a turn and collided with a big rig.

"Just lost it, coming around the corner," he said. "Hit a patch of slush and ended up sliding … in the back end of the semi. Thought I was going to end up under it. Luckily I didn't."

The Utah Highway Patrol said the weather may have caught some motorists by surprise.

"The snow hit right during the (morning commute)," said UHP trooper Cameron Roden. "When we go for a while without a storm, people forget their winter driving habits."

Roden said additional manpower was called in to help handle the high volume of incidents on interstate highways and state roads.

The state Department of Transportation mobilized dozens of snowplows to clear roadways. The plows will be out as long as necessary, UDOT spokesman Adan Carrillo said.

"There is a day shift and a night shift … and there will be a 24-hour operation until the weather event is over with," Carrillo said.

Meanwhile, snowfall Monday and later this week is expected to increase the danger of slides in high elevation areas along the Wasatch Front, according to the Utah Avalanche Center.

Forecasters said the low snow totals so far this season had yet to create a hazardous environment for slides, but that is expected to change as accumulations are predicted to climb.