Winter Storm — Wasatch Mountains I-80 North, Utah

2024-01-11 to 2024-01-15 · Wasatch Mountains I-80 North, Utah

Event narrative

Several SNOTEL stations including Parley's Summit, Lightning Ridge, and Tony Grove Lake recorded roughly 2.1 to 6.0 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 22 to 73 inches of snow. Some additional snowfall reports from the snow safety community include 50.0 inches at Powder Mountain, 34.0 inches at Snowbasin Resort, and 19.0 inches at Logan Mountains. Strong winds were also noted, with several observations at the Snowbasin - Straw Top mesonet site in excess of 70 mph (with a peak gust of 104 mph at 2:30 am MST 1/14), and wind gusts in excess of 70 mph also noted at Logan Peak, Logan Summit, Peter Sinks Rim, and several other mesonet sites.

Wider weather episode

A fairly long duration two part winter storm moved through Utah in mid January. This winter storm resulted in several days of fairly substantial mountain snow, with more modest accumulations noted in some of the lower elevation valleys. Mountain snow was more or less a continuous feature with minimal breaks between the two portions of the system, while most valley accumulations occurred during the colder second half of the system. This system also produced periods of strong sustained winds and gusts, and was responsible for triggering multiple avalanches throughout Utah's mountains.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1151595. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.