Rain, snow mark first true blast of winter and more is on the way

SALT LAKE CITY — A wet cold front bringing rain, snow and colder temperatures to Central and Northern Utah made for traffic headaches along the Wasatch Front Tuesday with more precipitation expected to fall for the next two days.

The National Weather Service reported up to an inch of rain fell throughout the Salt Lake Valley, including several small thunderstorms that left  pooling water on roadways, Eric Schoening, a meteorologist with the weather service, said.

"With those thunderstorms were pockets of heavier rainfall. We didn't hear a lot of reports of flooding, but we did have reports of ponding of water on roadways," he said.

The storm brought 1 to 10 inches of snow in the mountains north of I-80 as well as Cache Valley. Schoening said typical snow damage to trees was reported in areas like Randolph, which received more than 8 inches of snow. Laketown received 7 inches of snow and Logan collected 3 inches. 

Some snow was also seen along the northern Wasatch Front and in valleys as low as Ogden.

A winter weather advisory was in place for the Wasatch and Uintah mountains through Thursday, Schoening said, with a second storm expected to cause slippery roads in areas above 6,000 feet, with cold and wet conditions for hunters, campers and travelers.

The benches in Weber, Davis and Salt Lake counties could see snow accumulations of 1 to 4 inches in the coming storm, with traces to 1 inch of snow possible in the Salt Lake Valley, Merrill said.

Utah County can expect a rain and snow mix without accumulation, Merrill said.

The gusts that brought in the cold front triggered wind advisories in most of the state earlier in the week, including high wind warnings in west-central and southwest Utah. No major wind damage was reported.

"We just want to advise the public that anytime we have inclement weather to slow down and increase their following distances," Utah Highway Patrol Cpl. Todd Johnson said. "Just slow down and take every precaution possible." 

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