First snowfall of the season; road conditions lead to accident

On 180 West in Hurricane, Utah, 35 minutes from the first flurry, Dec. 18, 2012 | Photo by Sandra Woodring Adams for St. George News

WASHINGTON COUNTY – Heavy rain that fell in Southern Utah on Tuesday night gradually turned to snow. A white blanket covered Hurricane, while driving conditions at the Hurricane exit northward met increasingly poor road conditions and visibility.

Heavy rain was pouring down around 5 p.m. As the evening progressed, reports of snow north of St. George began to to appear around 8:30 p.m. in Hurricane and Leeds. Snowfall eventually made its way to St. George, though not in the levels of concentration experienced only a few miles to the north on I-15.

Driving conditions on I-15 deteriorated as visibility began to decrease and the road surface was covered with a mix of rain and snow.  In winter driving scenarios, the Utah Department of Transportation urges drivers to slow down in order to avoid accidents.

One accident caused by the snow occurred at milepost 13 on I-15 around 10:30 p.m. A driver lost control of her vehicle and slid off the road.  St. George News reporter Sarafina Amodt was at the scene of the accident and was told by the Utah Highway Patrol that the driver was able to walk away from the accident unharmed.

With more snow predicted in the forecast, St. George News would like to remind drivers, especially those heading north, to be careful and drive safely.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery. 

 

On 180 West in Hurricane, Utah, 35 minutes from the first flurry, Dec. 18, 2012 | Photo by Sandra Woodring Adams for St. George News
Snow in Leeds, Utah, around 9:30 p.m. Dec. 18, 2012 | Photo by Jenny Bracken for St. George News

St. George News reporter Sarafina Amodt contributed to this report.

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Twitter: @STGnews /  @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2012, all rights reserved.

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