Utah, 1997

Winter Storm in Utah, March 31, 1997

March 31, 1997 · NWS SLC · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

A strong cold front roared through Utah on this date. High winds and local heavy snowfall were the main weather problems with this system.

The toll

Deaths
3
Injuries
60
Property damage
$2.0 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

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 cold front roared through Utah on this date. High winds and local heavy snowfall were the main weather problems with this system. 6-14" of snow accumulated in the northern mountains and 2-6" elsewhere. High winds caused extensive damage. Some peak wind gusts were: Logan Peak (9600' ASL) 95 mph (83 kts), Solitude (9800') 90 mph (78 kts), 81 mph (70 kts) at the Saltair Marina, and 70 mph (61 kts) on top of the 6-story KSL building in downtown Salt Lake City. Numerous locations had wind gusts in excess of 50 mph. Damage included a roof being blown off a house in Salt Lake City. A mast on a sailboat being toppled at the Saltair Marina. Large trees were downed and several power outages occurred. Several traffic accidents resulted in numerous injuries and 3 fatalities.

Event by event

12 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Cache Valley/Utah Portion

When
March 31, 4:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Cache Valley/Utah Portion forecast zone

Winter Storm, Northern Wasatch Front/Brigham City/Ogden Bountiful

When
March 31, 4:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Wasatch Front/Brigham City/Ogden Bountiful forecast zone
Measured
50

Winter Storm, Salt Lake and Toole Valleys

When
March 31, 4:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Salt Lake and Toole Valleys forecast zone
Measured
70
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
60 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.0 million

Winter Storm, Southern Wasatch Front/Lehi/Provo/Nephi

When
March 31, 4:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Southern Wasatch Front/Lehi/Provo/Nephi forecast zone

Winter Storm, Wasatch Mountain Valleys/Huntsville/Park City/Heber

When
March 31, 4:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Wasatch Mountain Valleys/Huntsville/Park City/Heber forecast zone

Winter Storm, Wasatch Mountains I80 North

When
March 31, 4:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Wasatch Mountains I80 North forecast zone
Measured
83

Winter Storm, Wasatch Mountains South of I80

When
March 31, 4:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Wasatch Mountains South of I80 forecast zone
Measured
78

Winter Storm, Great Salt Lake Desert and Mountains/Wendover/Snowville

When
March 31, 4:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Great Salt Lake Desert and Mountains/Wendover/Snowville forecast zone
Measured
50

Winter Storm, West Central Utah/Delta

When
March 31, 4:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
West Central Utah/Delta forecast zone
Measured
50

Winter Storm, Southwest Utah/Cedar City/Milford

When
March 31, 4:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Southwest Utah/Cedar City/Milford forecast zone
Measured
52

Winter Storm, Utah'S Dixie and Zion National Park

When
March 31, 4:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Utah'S Dixie and Zion National Park forecast zone
Measured
51

Winter Storm, Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs

When
March 31, 4:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs forecast zone
Deaths
2 direct, 0 indirect

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
Winter Storm, Salt Lake and Toole Valleys1997-03-3156FemaleVehicle/Towed TrailerDirect
Winter Storm, Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs1997-03-3158FemaleVehicle/Towed TrailerDirect
Winter Storm, Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs1997-03-3177MaleVehicle/Towed TrailerDirect

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

More

Every storm in Utah in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, March 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: 5602671, 5602672, 5602673, 5602674, 5602675, 5602676, 5602677, 5602678, 5602679, 5602680, 5602681, 5602682.