Salt Lake City Daily Brief: Avalanches, Power District road debate, and flight disruptions

Top local headlines

Deadly avalanche stretch in the Wasatch

First responders have been stretched thin after a run of backcountry avalanches near the central Wasatch, including areas accessed from Big and Little Cottonwood canyons. Reports compiled over the past week described more than 70 slides, with multiple search-and-rescue calls and several fatalities. Forecasters urged anyone leaving resort boundaries to treat conditions as serious backcountry travel, carry rescue gear, and avoid steep terrain when the danger is elevated.

Fatal I-15 crash under investigation

State troopers reported a fatal crash Monday afternoon on southbound I-15 near 8200 South after a car went onto the right shoulder and struck a box truck that had been stopped there. The driver of the car, a 91-year-old man, later died at the hospital. The right lanes were closed during the investigation.

Power District access plans collide with a traffic-calming fight

A transportation study for the west-side Power District outlined ideas like protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and redesigned road connections meant to handle big crowds if the district grows into a major entertainment hub. But the same kinds of changes are now tangled up in a Capitol Hill debate over how far agencies and cities can go with traffic-calming measures on key corridors. For Salt Lake City, the concern is whether long-range access improvements could be slowed or rewritten.

Salt Lake City airport sees cancellations tied to an East Coast storm

Even with clear skies locally at times, airline networks have been absorbing knock-on effects from severe weather back east. Early-week tracking showed dozens of canceled flights at Salt Lake City International, plus additional delays, with a heavy share involving the airport’s largest carriers. Travelers were advised to recheck flight status before heading to the terminal and to expect rolling schedule changes.

Sources

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/02/25/utahs-tragic-avalanche-week-3-dead/
https://dps.utah.gov/press-releases/salt-lake-county-fatal-crash/
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2026/02/24/proposed-power-district-road
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/nearly-50-flights-canceled-salt-171127206.html