Utah, 1996

Heavy Snow in Utah, February 25 to 26, 1996

February 25 to 26, 1996 · NWS SLC · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

A strong low pressure system with a "double-structured" cold front struck Utah late in February. while the mountains had from 1-4' of snow.

The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
1
Property damage
$10,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS SLC wrote it up.

A strong low pressure system with a "double-structured" cold front struck Utah late in February. Utahs valleys received anywhere from 2-22" of snowfall...while the mountains had from 1-4' of snow. A spotter on Wasatch Boulevard in Eastern Salt Lake City measured the most for valley locations with 22 inches. The Elk Meadows ski resort received 43" of snow. Most Southern Valleys had from 3-6".Numerous traffic accidents occurred during this storm, due to the icy roads and low visibilities blowing snow. There was one known fatality.

Event by event

13 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Cache Valley/Utah Portion

When
February 25, 5:00 PM MST to February 26, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Cache Valley/Utah Portion forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Northern Wasatch Front/Brigham City/Ogden Bountiful

When
February 25, 5:00 PM MST to February 26, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Wasatch Front/Brigham City/Ogden Bountiful forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Salt Lake and Toole Valleys

When
February 25, 5:00 PM MST to February 26, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Salt Lake and Toole Valleys forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$10,000

Heavy Snow, Southern Wasatch Front/Lehi/Provo/Nephi

When
February 25, 5:00 PM MST to February 26, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Southern Wasatch Front/Lehi/Provo/Nephi forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Great Salt Lake Desert and Mountains/Wendover/Snowville

When
February 25, 5:00 PM MST to February 26, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Great Salt Lake Desert and Mountains/Wendover/Snowville forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Wasatch Mountain Valleys/Huntsville/Park City/Heber

When
February 25, 5:00 PM MST to February 26, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Wasatch Mountain Valleys/Huntsville/Park City/Heber forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Wasatch Mountains I80 North

When
February 25, 5:00 PM MST to February 26, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Wasatch Mountains I80 North forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Wasatch Mountains South of I80

When
February 25, 5:00 PM MST to February 26, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Wasatch Mountains South of I80 forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Western Unita Mountains

When
February 25, 5:00 PM MST to February 26, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Western Unita Mountains forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs

When
February 25, 5:00 PM MST to February 26, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Western Unita Basin

When
February 25, 5:00 PM MST to February 26, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Western Unita Basin forecast zone

Heavy Snow, Castle Country/Price/Castle/Dale/Emery

When
February 25, 5:00 PM MST to February 26, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Castle Country/Price/Castle/Dale/Emery forecast zone

Heavy Snow, San Rafael Swell/Greene River/Hanksville

When
February 25, 5:00 PM MST to February 26, 9:00 PM MST
Where
San Rafael Swell/Greene River/Hanksville forecast zone

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Heavy Snow, Salt Lake and Toole Valleys1996-02-261FemaleVehicle/Towed TrailerDirect

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Utah in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, February 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5536173, 5536174, 5536175, 5536176, 5536177, 5536178, 5536179, 5536180, 5536181, 5536182, 5536183, 5536184, 5536185.