An avalanche barreled down a Utah mountain range over the weekend, coating vehicles with the white stuff.
Many regions, including the Beehive State, are currently experiencing heavy snowfall as a result of a massive winter storm rolling through the Midwest, East Coast and beyond. Tens of millions of Americans from Kansas to Washington, D.C. were under winter storm advisories.
As the amount of snow increases, so does the possibility of an avalanche.
In Little Cottonwood Canyon about 10 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, traffic had already slowed to a stop because of heavy snow on Saturday when an avalanche hit the area.
Footage captured by a driver shows the avalanche as it cascades down the mountain slope toward vehicles on the 13-mile road stretch. Nobody is believed to have been hurt.
Video shows avalanche coat Utah roadway in snow
The Utah Department of Transportation for the Cottonwood Canyons closed State Route 210, writing in an X post that “avalanche mitigation & road operations” would continue, and the estimated time of operation was unknown.
“Slides have hit the road, crews clearing where they can,” the department wrote.
The highway was open by Sunday morning, with the department warning drivers of travel delays after avalanche mitigation and road operations were complete.
The National Weather Service alerted residents of a “Pacific Northwest storm system” moving through the area early Saturday and into Sunday, bringing with it “much colder temperatures” and “significant snow accumulations” for the mountains of northern Utah, according to an X post.
Snow accumulations between 6 and 12 inches were expected in the northern mountains, with “locally higher amounts in the Upper Cottonwoods,” the weather service said.
The Utah Avalanche Center issued a “high” avalanche danger warning for Salt Lake area mountains on Sunday morning.
“Snowpack does not like rapid change and your best bet to enjoy this newest snow is to stay out of avalanche terrain and stick to lower angle slopes less than 30 degrees in steepness,” said the Avalanche Center.
Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch avalanche barrel toward Utah drivers as snow inundates area
