Avalanche — Wasatch Mountains South of I-80, Utah

2016-01-31 · Wasatch Mountains South of I-80, Utah

Event narrative

A 50-year-old male skier went missing in the Park City area on the afternoon of January 31. After two days of searching, his body was eventually found along Rip's Ridge, where he apparently had triggered an avalanche, and had been buried and killed.

Wider weather episode

After a month of primarily quick-hitting storms, a longer duration winter storm moved through Utah at the end of January, bringing heavy snow to much of the state. The initial burst of precipitation began across northern Utah on January 29, peaking during the morning hours of January 30. After a brief break, snow redeveloped further south in the state during the afternoon of January 30, then continued through February 2. Note that this episode continued into February.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 616663. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.