Kids Spend Night at School as Storm Hits Salt Lake City Area

Blizzard conditions and snow storms that started on Wednesday afternoon and will continue through Valentine's Day afternoon or evening, is considered by most locals as the worst storm they have ever seen since they have lived in Utah. In some areas, winds at 70 mph caused whiteout conditions that snarled traffic until after midnight on Interstate 15. The wind chill in the area was zero degrees and drivers stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on I-15 had to constantly get out of their cars and break the ice of their windshield wipers. Cars and trucks began to cover with ice like popcicles. Many drivers pulled off at the local Point of the Mountain Maverick convenience store around 10 p.m. to give it up and spend the night in their vehicle.

Roads began closing in the afternoon Wednesday, which stranded school children on school buses and people at their work locations. One employee who works at the IM Flash Technologies Plant in Lehi, Utah spent five and a half hours driving 11 miles to his home. Over 350 children were taken back to schools after school buses could not reach the children's homes. 165 children spent the night at Ridgeline Elementary School in Highland. Parents and others who could make it to the school, brought supplies and food for the unexpected sleepover. Churches opened their doors for drivers to seek refuge for the night as the storm stubbornly continued pounding the region.

Numerous slide offs and big rig jackknife accidents contributed to the traffic problems. It was impossible for snow plows to get to the roads due to the high winds and stranded vehicles. According to Channel 5 News, as of 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the Highway Patrol said there were no major injuries in the 50 crashed and 49 slifeoffs they responded to so far.