As storms intensify, officials warn Utah drivers of dangerous road conditions

This weekend's rainstorms caused water to rush down the mountains near the East Canyon Wildlife Management Area, prompting a mudslide that closed a portion of State Route 66.
 
Mudslides like these are why authorities say it’s especially dangerous driving during a severe rainstorm.
 
"It was a lot of water and rocks and burned off trees and stuff that come from all the way up the valley,” said Marc Evans, who lives in Porterville.
 
Since Friday night, Evans has been helping clean his friend's home.
 
He said the mudslide and all the rocks and water it brought with it were powerful.
 
"It would have been with enough force to push your car off the side of the road and ruined your evening,” said Evans. “I don't think it would've washed you away a long ways, but it wouldn't have been something you wanted to go through.”
 
Throughout the state, this weekend's storms were strong and driving conditions were hazardous.
 
So, what should you do when you find yourself in an unsafe environment for driving?
 
"Slow down, as we know that our stopping distances will increase,” said Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Jonathon Boyd. “Make sure that even before we leave that our vehicles are in good condition, you have good tire tread, working windshield wipers. Those types of things can help us prevent collisions.”
 
Making sure your vehicle is in good condition especially helps given the types of storms we've been seeing.
 
"The current weather we've been having, we're getting these really quick cells, that are, it's not raining all day but it's a really quick cell that's dumping water really fast and really hard,” said Lt. Travis Hancock with the Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division.
 
When that rain is pouring hard and fast, officers say that if you're driving, make sure to turn off your cruise control.
 
"We see a lot of that where cruise control is activated, they get to a part where the water is covering the roadway and they end up in a spin because the cruise control doesn't know how to react or work in that environment,” said Boyd.
 
But the number one thing first responders say is to plan ahead to make sure you aren't in that position in the first place by not driving during severe weather.