Winter Storm — Wasatch Mountains South of I-80, Utah

2024-03-01 to 2024-03-03 · Wasatch Mountains South of I-80, Utah

Event narrative

Several SNOTEL stations including Cascade Mountain, Mill-D North, and Payson R.S. recorded roughly 1.2 to 1.8 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 18 to 26 inches of snow. Strong winds and wind gusts were also observed at various mesonet sites in the zone through the event. Some observations included a peak wind gust of 98 mph at the Cardiff Peak mesonet site 3/2 at 10:40 am MST, a wind gust of 91 mph at the Arrowhead Summit mesonet site 3/2 at 12:20 pm MST, a wind gust of 91 mph at the Reynolds Peak mesonet site 3/2 at 9:30 am MST, and 79 mph at the Empire Peak mesonet site 3/1 at 10:20 pm MST. Many of these observing sites observed multiple gusts in excess of 75 mph through the event.

Wider weather episode

A strong system approached the region for the start of March, with very anomalously strong low level flow noted ahead of a cold frontal boundary. This strong low level flow resulted in a prolonged period of strong sustained and gusty winds across almost the entirety of Utah. As the cold front moved into northern Utah, some areas experienced convective precipitation and associated strong wind gusts. Winds began to subside following the passage of the cold front, but the colder air allowed for precipitation to transition to snow, yielding accumulating snow across much of the area. Mountain locations which remained sufficiently cold throughout the event received fairly substantial snow accumulations in addition to the prolonged strong winds.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1158194. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.