A winter storm that began Thursday afternoon continued to complicate traffic on Utah roadways Friday and forced the closures of schools, government buildings and other facilities.
The National Weather Service said the afternoon commute would be most hazardous from Salt Lake County north through the Ogden area.
The Utah Highway Patrol says that there have been more than 404 crashes between midnight and 8:30 p.m. Friday in Box Elder, Weber, Davis, Salt Lake and Utah Counties.
In Box Elder County, there were 6 slide-offs and two property damage crashes.
In Weber County, 42 crashes. In Davis County, 80 crashes.
In Salt Lake County, there were 108 property damage crashes, 7 injury crashes and 128 slide-offs.
In Utah County, there were 12 property damage crashes, 6 injury crashes and 13 slide-offs.
Officials say Utahns should stay off the road if possible, but drivers should slow down and increase following distance if they do drive.
A winter storm warning remains in effectfrom Utah County to Cache County through noon on Saturday.
The National Weather Service is forecasting an additional one to three inches of snow for the valleys through the day, with up to five inches of snow on the benches. Another one to four inches is expected overnight into Saturday morning.
The snow began to fall around rush hour on Thursday.
Track the storm withFOX 13's interactive radar.
Utahns in Murray had to dig out from about one and a half feet of snow.
"You just got to hit it early," said a Murray resident. "When you see the snow coming, if you get a run on it early then it's not going to be as bad when it piles up as much as it is now."
UDOT crews worked through the morning to clear snow from the road ways. Here is a link to thecurrent road conditions.
Thousands of students, most in Davis County, got a rare snow day on Friday.
The National Weather Service reports more than 2 feet of snow in the upper areas of Millcreek during the overnight storm through Friday.
Areas near North Salt Lake, East Layton and Centerville got more than 18 inches of snow. Bountiful got nearly three feet of snow by 5 p.m. Friday.
The Salt Lake City International Airport received just over seven inches of snow. Elk Ridge, in southern Utah County received 22 inches of snow, according to NWS.
Ski resorts received between 9 and 12 inches of fresh powder.
Check out viewer photos of January’s winter storm.
