Winter Storm in Utah, December 7 to 8, 1997

Name: Winter Storm in Utah, December 7 to 8, 1997
Start: 1997-12-07T04:00
End: 1997-12-08T18:00
Location: Utah

December 7 to 8, 1997 · NWS SLC · 22 events in 22 counties and zones

A strong trough moved through northern Utah on the 7th. The cold moist airmass remained unstable into the 8th in a strong northwest flow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 20
Property damage: $200,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 22

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 trough moved through northern Utah on the 7th. The cold moist airmass remained unstable into the 8th in a strong northwest flow. Lake-enhanced snowbands developed along the Wasatch Front on the 8th as well. Criteria snow fell across much of the state and locally strong winds occurred as well. Some peak wind gusts included: St. George airport 58 mph (50 kts) and Cedar City 45 mph (39 kts). Generally 2-5' of snow fell in the northern mountains, and 6-18" in the northern valleys. Southern Utah had from 1-3' in the mountains and 1-4" in the valleys. Some of the higher storm totals included: The Cottonwood Ski Resorts 5', Brian Head 34", Salt Lake City Avenues district 18", Logan 11", Tooele 20", South Ogden 19", Logan 11", Monticello and Vernal 8", Fillmore 5", Moab 4" and 2" in Cedar City, Blanding, Price and Dugway. Numerous power outages, traffic accidents, and tree damage occurred during this storm. There was one traffic related fatality and several injuries.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

22 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Nw Cache

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Nw Cache forecast zone
Injuries: 20 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $200,000

Winter Storm, Beaver T X E/Iron T Xs Xe

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Beaver T X E/Iron T Xs Xe forecast zone

Winter Storm, C E Summit/X Ne Wasatch/N Duchesne

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: C E Summit/X Ne Wasatch/N Duchesne forecast zone

Winter Storm, C Ec Xse Duchesne

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: C Ec Xse Duchesne forecast zone

Winter Storm, C Uintah

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: C Uintah forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.125, -109.518 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, C W Box Elder/C W Xe Toole/X W Salt Lake/X Nw Utah

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: C W Box Elder/C W Xe Toole/X W Salt Lake/X Nw Utah forecast zone

Winter Storm, Daggett/N Uintah

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Daggett/N Uintah forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.506, -109.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, E Wasatch T X Ne/S Wc Duchesne/X Ne San Pete/Carbon T Sc/P X Ne X Nw Emery

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: E Wasatch T X Ne/S Wc Duchesne/X Ne San Pete/Carbon T Sc/P X Ne X Nw Emery forecast zone

Winter Storm, Millard T X E/Juab T X E

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Millard T X E/Juab T X E forecast zone

Winter Storm, Ne Box Elder T X Ne/W Weber/Davis

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Ne Box Elder T X Ne/W Weber/Davis forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect

Winter Storm, Ne Garfield/X Sc X Se Wayne/C N San Juan

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Ne Garfield/X Sc X Se Wayne/C N San Juan forecast zone

Winter Storm, P Nc Weber/P C Morgan/P W C Summit/P Sc Wasatch

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: P Nc Weber/P C Morgan/P W C Summit/P Sc Wasatch forecast zone

Winter Storm, P Sc Carbon/Nw Emery T X Nw

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: P Sc Carbon/Nw Emery T X Nw forecast zone

Winter Storm, Rich/Cache T Nw/P E C Weber/Most of Morgan/Nw Summit/Ne Salt Lake/X Ne Box Elder

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Rich/Cache T Nw/P E C Weber/Most of Morgan/Nw Summit/Ne Salt Lake/X Ne Box Elder forecast zone

Winter Storm, S Grand

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: S Grand forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.982, -109.570 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, S Uintah/N Grand

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: S Uintah/N Grand forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.554, -109.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sc Se San Juan

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Sc Se San Juan forecast zone
Coordinates: 37.626, -109.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Sc Washington

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Sc Washington forecast zone

Winter Storm, W Salt Lake T X W/E Toole T X E

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: W Salt Lake T X W/E Toole T X E forecast zone

Winter Storm, W Summit T Nw/Se Salt Lake/Wasatch X Sc/E Utah/P X E Juab/X Nw San Pete

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: W Summit T Nw/Se Salt Lake/Wasatch X Sc/E Utah/P X E Juab/X Nw San Pete forecast zone

Winter Storm, W Utah T X Nw/P X E Juab

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: W Utah T X Nw/P X E Juab forecast zone

Winter Storm, X Nw Kane/Xs Xe Iron/N W Washington/Nw Wc Garfield/Piute/W Wayne/Sevier T C/X E Millard/S Sanpete T Sc/X Se Juab/P X Nw Emery/X E Beaver

When: December 7, 4:00 AM MST to December 8, 6:00 PM MST
Where: X Nw Kane/Xs Xe Iron/N W Washington/Nw Wc Garfield/Piute/W Wayne/Sevier T C/X E Millard/S Sanpete T Sc/X Se Juab/P X Nw Emery/X E Beaver 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.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Winter Storm, Ne Box Elder T X Ne/W Weber/Davis	1997-12-07	45	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Utah in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Utah, December 1997

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: 5623952, 5623953, 5623954, 5623955, 5623956, 5623957, 5623958, 5623959, 5623960, 5623961, 5623962, 5623963, 5623964, 5623965, 5623966, 5623967, 5623968, 5623969, 5623970, 5623971, 5623972, 5623973.