Should you’re heading to the Sundance Movie Pageant tonight or early tomorrow, make sure you buckle up, bundle up and anticipate delays as a consequence of unhealthy climate.
Days of snowfall in and round Park Metropolis and different components of Northern Utah have seen vehicles skidding off the mountain roads and site visitors backed up as a consequence of accidents and the climate. Earlier at this time, there have been close to blizzard circumstances within the canyons and mountain passes between Salt Lake Metropolis and Sundance’s resort dwelling.
Kicking off Thursday with movies screening at midday, Sundance is celebrating its fortieth anniversary this yr.
Heading into Park Metropolis on Route 80 on Wednesday morning, it was de rigueur to see vehicles spinning out, or fender-bendered into freeway dividers.
With visibility generally significantly restricted, the slick roads offered confusion for lots of drivers as as to if it was a two lane or three lane street. Whereas circumstances round Park Metropolis have cleared up at current and snowboarding hills subsequent to the city have been comparatively packed this afternoon, extra snow is anticipated to dump later tonight.
“It has impacted journey,” Officer Spencer Harrison of the Park Metropolis Police instructed Deadline tonight of the latest storm and its aftermath. “You need to give further time and go gradual,” he added of arriving within the city and getting round for the pageant.” To that finish, snow ploughs are anticipated to be out round 4 AM MT to begin clearing for the morning commutes and Sundance Day 1 arrivals.
“The climate forecast predicts will probably be hotter than final yr and with fewer days of snow, that stated Park Metropolis Public Works strives to make sure the most secure attainable circumstances as they’ve for our final 40 Festivals,” a pageant spokesperson stated this night of the climate and its influence on the January 18 – 28 pageant.
With that, of utmost concern for a lot of trade people and the tens of hundreds of different attendees coming into city after a snow storm: Are they going to slide and fall on Major Road? Already, regardless of being salted, the sidewalks are proving laborious to stroll on with the handful of individuals already right here taking some tumbles.
Historically, the Sundance Movie Pageant sees one or two hefty snowfalls a yr, with many attendees attempting to get a while on the slopes as a part of their go to. Nonetheless, it’s uncommon to seek out such tough street circumstances in Utah, the place it snows lots this time of yr, because the previous few days have endured.
Climate studies have tomorrow and January 18 overcast with temperatures within the 37°F vary within the day and taking place to under 15°F at evening. On the weekend, the snow begins coming down laborious once more and proceed in to subsequent week.
Presently, there’s a extreme climate alert in impact within the area from the state of Utah.
The upside is that whereas it’s chilly, there isn’t the icy temperatures that always chill festivalgoers to the bone as they head up and down Major Road or into the likes of the Egyptian Theater to see motion pictures. The draw back is that journey is gradual and will crawl much more because the snow begins to fall once more
In the meantime at Salt Lake Metropolis airport, at this time’s storm triggered delays of quarter-hour or larger, in line with authorities. Tonight, there’s a wind chill of 31 levels with a 71% probability of precipitation.
