Did Utah’s winter storms live up to the hype?
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — With the exception of a few lingering storms, northern Utah is getting a small break in active weather.
For the past week, Utah has been hit with winter storm after winter storm. The snow created high avalanche dangers for Utah’s mountains and closed Utah canyons multiple times as crews worked to mitigate the dangers.
Forecasts predicted the back-to-back storms could bring several feet of snow to the Utah mountains but did the storms live up to the hype? It depends on where you are in the state.
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If you’re in Provo and Utah County, you might have felt like the series of storms was overhyped. Using data collected by the National Weather Service, Provo received just over four inches of fresh power in the last week. Most days only saw trace amounts of snowfall.
It was a different story in Alta. The town situated in the higher elevations of the Little Cottonwood Canyon received a staggering 79.2 inches, according to NWS. The heaviest day of snow was on Sunday, Jan. 14, when 23 inches of new snow fell in the area. The large amounts of fresh powder forced the town to issue interlodge orders to protect residents and visitors.
The Salt Lake Valley saw a modest amount in comparison. NWS data shows the airport recorded seven inches of fresh powder. A little further north in Bountiful, the benches reported nearly nine inches of snow. Utah State University in Logan — where temperatures dipped to a record-breaking -15 degrees Fahrenheit — reported 12.5 inches of snow blanketed the city.
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The new snow helped improve Utah’s snowpack overall, according to the Utah Division of Water Resources. As of Wednesday, Jan. 17, The Wasatch Front is over 100% of the median precipitation and several of the surrounding areas are close behind. Utah’s Snow Water Equivalent — the amount of water in inches from the snow — raised above the median amount as well over the last week to 7.8 inches. Though it’s still a far cry from last year’s record-breaking 15.8 SWE.
After nearly a week of straight storms, Utah has a small break to close out the work week. The break in the weather gives the perfect window for mountaingoers to hit the slopes.
Wednesday’s last hurrah of snow dropped enough in the Cottonwood Canyons for four resorts to call a “Powder Day” – when at least a foot of new snow falls in the last 24 hours. Beaver Mountain, Park City Mountain, and Snowbasin Resort all reported 12 inches of snow within the last 24 hours while Solitude topped out with 13 inches, according to Ski Utah’s snow report.
If you’re hitting the slopes before Utah’s next storm this weekend, make sure to go prepared and stick to the groomed areas. The Utah Avalanche Center is reporting all of Northern Utah’s mountains are at risk of high avalanche dangers.
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