Winter Storm — Salt Lake and Tooele Valleys, Utah

2013-12-19 to 2013-12-20 · Salt Lake and Tooele Valleys, Utah

Event narrative

The Salt Lake Valley was perhaps the hardest hit by the combination of freezing rain and heavy snowfall. Most of the freezing rain occurred during the early morning hours on December 19, before switching to all snow through the morning. Storm total snowfall across the valley included 10 inches in Herriman, 8 inches in Sandy, and 7 inches in West Valley City and Draper.

Salt Lake City International Airport was shut down for a few hours in the morning, and over 200 flights were cancelled due to the slick runways. Travel by automobile was slow and hazardous, with over 450 accidents reported in the Salt Lake Valley, and 24 minor injuries from those accidents. Power outages were common, with over 14,000 customers losing power. Along State Route 201, a utility pole broke, with power lines falling across the roadway. These power lines shut down the road for several hours in both directions.

Wider weather episode

A moist Pacific storm system moved into Utah, with precipitation beginning on December 19. Cold air trapped in the valleys of northern Utah helped produce some freezing rain, before switching to all snow.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 490146. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.