Utah, 1998

Winter Storm in Utah, January 11 to 14, 1998

January 11 to 14, 1998 · NWS SLC · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

A broad Pacific trough moved through the region. High winds occurred with the cold front on the 11th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
4
Injuries
8
Property damage
$140,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Events
15

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 broad Pacific trough moved through the region. High winds occurred with the cold front on the 11th. Some of the highest gusts included: Mt. Ogden 107 mph (93kts), Hidden Peak 71 mph (62kts), Bountiful 50 mph (43kts), NWSFO SLC 47 mph (41kts) and Logan 43 mph (37kts). Criteria snow fell in all listed zones with Alta 30" (mountains) and Spanish Fork 6" (valleys) leading the way. Late on the 11th, a University of Utah Airmed helicopter crashed in Little Cottonwood Canyon killing 4 people. The Airmed chopper was attempting to rescue a critically injured avalanche victim and impacted at about 8500' ASL. Numerous other slides in the Wasatch mountains resulted in other injuries during this storm.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

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

When
January 11, 2:00 PM MST to January 14, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Northern Wasatch Front/Brigham City/Ogden Bountiful forecast zone
Injuries
8 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$140,000
Crop damage
$20,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY

Winter Storm, Southwest Utah/Cedar City/Milford

When
January 11, 2:00 PM MST to January 14, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Southwest Utah/Cedar City/Milford forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY

Winter Storm, Western Unita Mountains

When
January 11, 2:00 PM MST to January 14, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Western Unita Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY

Winter Storm, Western Unita Basin

When
January 11, 2:00 PM MST to January 14, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Western Unita Basin forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY

Winter Storm, Eastern Uinta Basin

When
January 11, 2:00 PM MST to January 14, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Eastern Uinta Basin forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
40.125, -109.518 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Eastern Uinta Mountains

When
January 11, 2:00 PM MST to January 14, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Eastern Uinta Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
40.506, -109.513 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs

When
January 11, 2:00 PM MST to January 14, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY

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

When
January 11, 2:00 PM MST to January 14, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Wasatch Mountain Valleys/Huntsville/Park City/Heber forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY

Winter Storm, Castle Country/Price/Castle/Dale/Emery

When
January 11, 2:00 PM MST to January 14, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Castle Country/Price/Castle/Dale/Emery forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY

Winter Storm, Wasatch Mountains I80 North

When
January 11, 2:00 PM MST to January 14, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Wasatch Mountains I80 North forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY

Winter Storm, Tavaputs Plateau

When
January 11, 2:00 PM MST to January 14, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Tavaputs Plateau forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
39.554, -109.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Salt Lake and Toole Valleys

When
January 11, 2:00 PM MST to January 14, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Salt Lake and Toole Valleys forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY

Winter Storm, Wasatch Mountains South of I80

When
January 11, 2:00 PM MST to January 14, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Wasatch Mountains South of I80 forecast zone
Deaths
4 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY

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

When
January 11, 2:00 PM MST to January 14, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Southern Wasatch Front/Lehi/Provo/Nephi forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY

Winter Storm, Central and Southwest Mountains

When
January 11, 2:00 PM MST to January 14, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Central and Southwest Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY

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, Wasatch Mountains South of I801998-01-1143MaleVehicle/Towed TrailerDirect
Winter Storm, Wasatch Mountains South of I801998-01-1145MaleVehicle/Towed TrailerDirect
Winter Storm, Wasatch Mountains South of I801998-01-1148MaleVehicle/Towed TrailerDirect
Winter Storm, Wasatch Mountains South of I801998-01-1132MaleVehicle/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 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, January 1998

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: 5664789, 5664790, 5664791, 5664792, 5664793, 5664794, 5664795, 5664796, 5664797, 5664798, 5664799, 5664800, 5664801, 5664802, 5664803.