Winter Storm — San Rafael Swell, Utah

2016-01-31 · San Rafael Swell, Utah

Event narrative

Snow totals in the San Rafael Swell included 9 inches at the Hans Flat Ranger Station, 7 inches at Capitol Reef National Park and 5 inches at Hanksville. Note that this event continued into February.

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 616676. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.