Thunderstorms dump rain; whip Northern Utah Tree splits, falls in front of Roy home By LORETTA PARK Standard-Examiner staff ROY — Heavy winds and rain caused a fairly large tree in front of a Roy home to split and fall onto the road Saturday evening. The tree blocked residents from driving through the neighborhood. However, with help from the city's street department and neighbors, the tree was quickly removed from the road. "We all came out here and cleaned it up," said neighbor Chris Zarfl. "It was just an act of nature." And for the rest of Northern Utah, the cool, wet storm that hit the area Friday and Saturday caused vehicle slide-offs and left standing water in some intersections. Public safety dispatchers in Weber and Davis counties said Saturday that they had not heard of any reports of significant flooding or mudslides. Also, no major accidents were caused by the rain, they said. It helped that the storm came late Friday and early Saturday morning, instead of on a weekday during commute times, dispatchers said. Utah Highway Patrol Cpl. Shaun Williams said his shift started at 5 a.m. and that he had been to 15 crashes, slide-offs and rollovers by 1 p.m. "Drivers are not paying attention to the condition of the roads," he said. "They're not noticing a lot of water has gathered, and it causes them to hydroplane." Dave Eskelsen with Rocky Mountain Power said there were no reports of any power outages in the Top of Utah area. A Layton dispatcher said they received reports of lots of water and sand in the area of Hill Field Road and McCormick Way. Public works employees were sent to deal with the problem. The rain is expected to continue through Monday, said Eric Schoening, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City. Between a third of an inch to 0.61 inches of rain had fallen along the Wasatch Front since Friday night, Schoening said. Lay- ton reported the 0.61 inches, he said. Rain caused huge problems across the state. Search and rescue crews in Tooele County were helping dozens of party-goers who got stuck in the mud after a bonfire in the Skull Valley area, according to news reports. Officials said dozens of people were stranded on a mountain in the area after storms delivered moderate to heavy rains there overnight. In Southern Utah, Interstate 15 southbound west of Mesquite closed for several hours Saturday because of flooding, according to Utah Department of Photo courtesy of Nadene Saxton A tree lays across the road in a Roy neighborhood after splitting as a result of high winds Saturday. *, Transportation officials. One lane was opened by 10:30 a.m. There is a 50 percent chance of rain showers today, Shoening said. Temperatures are also expected not to get above 70 degrees today, he said and temperatures are predicted to drop into the mid- 60s on Monday. "It will be definitely be a lot cooler than we have been used to." Morgan Briesmaster contributed to this story. Contact reporter Loretta Park at 801-625-4252 or lpark@standard.net. Follow her on Twitter at @Loret- taParkSE. Like her on Facebook at www.face- book.com/SELorettaPark. a> •a CD ro oo O