Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
SANDY — A section of Little Cottonwood Canyon has reopened after snow continued to wreak havoc in the area Monday.
Utah Department of Transportation officials reopened state Route 210 shortly after 2 p.m. after it was closed for nearly two hours because of "hazardous road surface conditions" and multiple crashes in the canyon.
UDOT had issued a traction law for Little Cottonwood Canyon shortly before noon, as more snow arrived in the area. That turned into a full closure from the mouth of the canyon to Snowbird Resort not long after, following the crashes.
Unified Fire Authority officials reported it, and the Sandy Fire Department responded to three different rollover crashes in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
"Upon arrival, crews found two simultaneous rollover accidents a couple miles apart," the agency wrote in a statement.
Unified Police Sgt. Aymee Race said a woman and a baby were in one vehicle that rolled over and a man was in another vehicle that crashed. The people in both vehicles were able to avoid serious injuries. She added there was also a semitruck that got stuck in the canyon, requiring a tow truck to move it out.
She also said vehicles with approved traction devices were struggling to stay on the road. While both travel lanes are now fully open, UDOT said road crews will remain in the area to make sure that the afternoon commute runs smoothly.
🚧 #RoadClosureUpdate 🚧 #SR210 OPEN: Vehicles have been cleared, both travel lanes fully open.@UtahDOT road crews continue to work in canyon for afternoon commute
— UDOT Cottonwood Canyons (@UDOTcottonwoods) March 25, 2024
‼️Expect downhill travel delays from @AltaSkiArea@AltaCentral@Snowbird this PM while the queue clears. pic.twitter.com/RQIGyfFbNK
The snow showers that caused the issues in Little Cottonwood Canyon are leftovers from a storm that produced heavy precipitation totals in parts of the state this weekend. Alta and Snowbird each received more than 2 feet of snow from the storm by Monday morning, while nearby valley communities like Draper ended up with more than an inch of water.
"A great storm indeed," said KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson.
Scattered rain and snow showers are forecast at times over the rest of Monday and into most of Tuesday. Johnson said these will be spread out throughout the west side of the state, where some communities could get bursts or rain or snow, while other areas won't receive anything.
More lake effect snow is possible Tuesday morning south and east of the Great Salt Lake, resulting in snow covered roads. Similar to this morning, impacts will be isolated to areas directly underneath these snow bands. Plan your morning commute accordingly. #utwxhttps://t.co/NK7RII2Nkh
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) March 25, 2024
National Weather Service meteorologists add that "unsettled weather" conditions may also produce some thunderstorms as well as "brief" graupel or snow events that may cause slick driving conditions in some areas.
Warmer temperatures are forecast after Tuesday; however, Johnson said more rain is forecast for the Wasatch Front on Thursday before another storm is expected to arrive over the weekend.
The additional storms have also boosted Utah's snowpack after it had started to slide a bit. Utah's statewide snowpack is back up to 16.9 inches of snow water equivalent, 124% of the median for this time of the year and 106% of the seasonal median. It had fallen from 17 inches on March 18 to 16.5 inches on Saturday before the latest storm arrived.
Full seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online, at the KSL Weather Center.
