SALT LAKE CITY — The early phases of blasted northern Utah on Thursday, causing power outages, dozens of traffic accidents and the temporary shutdown of Salt Lake's airport after a cargo plane slipped on a runway.

The storm moved in before dawn with freezing rain, then left 8 inches of snow around Logan before heading south. The system has hovered over Salt Lake County, and forecasters predict the area will see half a foot of snowfall.

More than 13,000 people were without power across the northern part of the state at one point Thursday morning, said Rocky Mountain Power spokesman David Eskelsen.

The snow was falling so quickly in Clinton, Utah Thursday morning, Barb Wood said the snowflakes looked like meteors.

(Barb_Wood/www.weather.com/photos)

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The Utah Highway Patrol, meanwhile, responded to about 30 accidents from the Idaho border to the southern edge of Salt Lake County, said Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce.Many of the crashes occurred on Utah Route 201 west of Salt Lake City, Royce said. Also, a power pole fell over on that stretch, prompting the highway to be temporarily closed in both directions. No serious injuries were reported.

Despite the storm and the icy roads, most schools stayed open. However, in Salt Lake County's largest school district, a power outage forced Robert Frost Elementary School to shut down in West Valley City, said Ben Horsley, a spokesman for the Granite School District.

At the airport, a Boeing 757 cargo plane arriving from Denver landed safely before sliding on a taxiway, said Allen Kenitzer, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.The plane wasn't damaged, and there were no injuries. Airport crews were reopening runways by Thursday afternoon.

The Storify below features some of our favorite photos from the Salt Lake City area Thursday.