Winter Storm — Nw Cache, Utah

2003-12-25 to 2003-12-27 · Nw Cache, Utah

Wider weather episode

A mammoth 3-day winter storm blasted portions of Utah, just in time for Christmas travelers. The worst hit area was from the Tooele Valley east through Salt Lake and Davis Counties, and east into the Wasatch Mountains. Freeways and side streets alike were snow packed and slick, resulting in nearly 1500 accidents statewide. Amazingly, no fatalities were reported from the accidents and injuries were minor. The heavy wet snow knocked out power to at least 70,000 people, mainly in Salt Lake and Davis Counties, as tree limbs fell on power lines. Almost 10,000 people went without pour for 48 hours or more, causing emergency shelters to be opened in Salt Lake City and Ogden. The threat of avalanches closed Little Cottonwood Canyon and placed Snowbird and Alta on inter-lodge restrictions. An empty light rail train derailed near the University of Utah, with dozens of airline flights being delayed or cancelled at the Salt Lake City International Airport, though one runway was kept open throughout the storm. The 10.6 inches of snow that fell at the Salt Lake Airport on the 26th smashed the record snowfall for the date of 4.3 inches set in 1936, and was the second snowiest December day on record. Some of the impressive snow totals included, Snowbird 65 inches, Alta 64 inches, Farmington Canyon 63 inches, Spruces 53 inches, Solitude 47 inches, Snowbasin 45 inches, The Canyons 40 inches and Brian Head 30 inches. And in the lower elevations, Upper Millcreek had an amazing 40 inches, East Layton 32 inches, Bountiful 30 inches, Centerville 28 inches, Kimball Junction 26 inches, South Ogden 24 inches, Tooele 23 inches, Salt Lake City Airport 19 inches, Spanish Fork 15 inches, Logan 14 inches, Brigham City 13 inches and Alpine, Fillmore and Morgan with 10 inches. It was a skiers dream, but a travelers nightmare.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5327466. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.