Avalanche in Utah, May 5, 1999

Name: Avalanche in Utah, May 5, 1999
Start: 1999-05-05T14:30
End: 1999-05-05T15:00
Location: Utah

May 5, 1999 · NWS SLC · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 avalanche, as filed by the National Weather Service.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

Event by event

1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.

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

When: May 5, 2:30 PM MST to 3:00 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
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD

A backcountry skier triggered a late spring avalanche in Little Cottonwood Canyon that was approximately 60 feet wide and 300 feet long. Twelve people were caught in the avalanche, with 3 buried (father and 2 sons) up to their chests. One of the sons broke free and managed to dig his father and brother out. The only injury was to the younger son buried the deepest who sustained a slight leg injury.

What these are

Avalanche: A mass of snow sliding down a mountainside that caused a death, an injury or damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Utah in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings in Utah, May 1999

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: 5686915.