On October 22 and 23 Junction received its first snow of the year. For many it was hard to accept the snow that was falling onto the ground so early. Halloween hadn’t even passed, yet winter decided to knock on the door! Several inches of snow were found lying on the ground. But even with the great precipitation, a lurking burden was ready to break.
Two days prior, the orange and yellow trees shined brightly as their leaves started the transition to falling off, preparing for winter. It was just the beginning of the trees becoming slightly bare when the snow hit. While a beautiful canvas was being painted with snow, the trees were slowly suffering from the weight.
Around 2:30 a.m. disaster struck for the trees. Against a stiff wind and under the weight of new snow, tree branches started to creak and snap off. With loud cracks, tree branches across Circleville Valley collapsed to the ground.
This commotion continued all the way until 5:00 a.m. Residents slowly went back to sleep, trying to distract themselves from what they would soon see outside. However, this peace did not last long. More booming started up again around 7:30 for a half hour. After 8:30 a.m., many Junction locals ventured outside to find their tall lurking trees cut in half. Humongous branches covered the ground along with the glistening snow.
When driving through the small town, the destruction can be seen between the branches on the ground to the holes in the trees.
Winter came very quickly compared to most years in Piute County. Hopefully with the snow, more water can be provided for the county. Locals also hope that this snowstorm means more snowpack later in the year.
– by Ari Hurdsman (17) Junction
More Pictures
Feature image caption: It snowed so hard and so early in Junction that the branches started breaking off the trees! Courtesy Ari Hurdsman.
Ari Hurdsman – Junction
Ari Hurdsman is a junior journalist at the Byway. She just recently moved to Ephraim, Utah, where she is a freshman at Snow College. She enjoys writing about Piute sports, and she’s really good at it! In her free time, she enjoys singing, dancing, reading and hanging out with friends and family.