A fairly wet and mild Pacific storm system brought a round of valley rain and mountain snow to northern Utah. Some of the heavier snow amounts included were 16 inches at Alta, 16 inches at Farmington Canyon, 11 inches at Snowbasin, 10 inches at Snowbird, 7 at Tony Grove Lake, Spruces, and Solitude.
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.
The episode as NWS SLC wrote it up.
A fairly wet and mild Pacific storm system brought a round of valley rain and mountain snow to northern Utah. Some of the heavier snow amounts included were 16 inches at Alta, 16 inches at Farmington Canyon, 11 inches at Snowbasin, 10 inches at Snowbird, 7 at Tony Grove Lake, Spruces, and Solitude.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Salt Lake City, UT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 25, 9:15 AM MST, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
915 AM MST THU NOV 25 2004
.SYNOPSIS...A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHWEST UTAH THURSDAY
AFTERNOON AND NIGHT...REACHING EXTREME SOUTHERN UTAH BY DAYBREAK
FRIDAY. ANOTHER STRONG PACIFIC STORM WILL AFFECT THE AREA SATURDAY
AND SUNDAY.
&&
.DISCUSSION...WARM ADVECTION INDUCED SPRINKLES AND FLURRIES
CONTINUING OVER NORTHERN UTAH THIS MORNING. LOOK FOR A BRIEF BREAK
IN THE ACTION LATER THIS MORNING THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON AHEAD OF
APPROACHING COLD ADVECTION ALOFT AND SURFACE COLD FRONT CURRENTLY
OVER EASTERN OREGON. ETA12 HINTING AT AN INITIAL TROF
PASSAGE/WINDSHIFT OVER THE NORTH BETWEEN 18 AND 21Z TODAY BUT MAIN
COLD ADVECTION AND ASSOCIATED PRECIP WILL NOT BEGIN IN EARNEST UNTIL
AFTER 00Z. RAIN TO SNOW CHANGEOVER IN THE VALLEYS OF THE NORTH STILL
APPEARS TO BE AROUND MIDNIGHT. DONT SEE MUCH IN THE WAY OF VALLEY
ACCUMULATION UNTIL POSSIBLY LATE FRIDAY MORNING ONCE 700MB TEMPS
DROP TO -10C AND THE POSSIBILITY OF LAKE ENHANCEMENT OR A LAKE BAND
OCCURS. CURRENT LAKE TEMPERATURE ESTIMATES RANGE FROM 7 TO 10
DEGREES C ALONG WITH FAVORABLE FLOW...SO LAKE EFFECT IN THE SALT
LAKE VALLEY/COTTONWOOD CANYON AREAS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION FOR
FRIDAY MORNING. HIGHER POPS MAY BE NEEDED FOR THE MOUTANINS ON
FRIDAY AFTERNOON AS SHALLOW UNSTABLE LAYER REMAINS AND JET LIFT
CONTINUES.
LOW END WARNING AMOUNTS LOOK REASONABLE IN THE TYPICALLY FAVORED
NORTHWEST FLOW LOCATIONS. ADVISORY LEVEL AMOUNTS ALSO LOOK GOOD FOR
OTHER MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS OF THE NORTH. MAY HAVE TO ADD UINTA COUNTY
WYOMING TO THE SNOW ADVISORY OR ISSUE A SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW
ADVISORY THERE DUE TO THE STRONG WEST WIND COMBINING WITH SNOWFALL
TO CAUSE A GOOD DEAL OF BLOWING AND SOME POSSIBLE DRIFTING. HAVE
SOME CONCERN OVER VALLEY ACCUMULATIONS DURING THE MORNING HOURS ON
FRIDAY. WILL WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE 12Z GFS LOOKS LIKE BEFORE DECIDING
ON A POSSIBLE ADVISORY FOR THE WASATCH FRONT.
MAJOR EVENT SHAPING UP FOR SOUTHERN HALF OF THE STATE FOR SATURDAY
NIGHT. 12Z ETA SUGGESTS THINGS MIGHT BE FARTHER SOUTH WITH SURFACE
LOW FORMING OUT OVER THE GRAND CANYON. QPF AMOUNTS IN THE ETA SEEM
AWFULLY LOW GIVEN THE STRENGTH OF UPPER DYNAMICS. WILL SEE WHAT THE
GFS HAS TO SAY ABOUT PLACEMENT AND QPF LATER THIS MORNING.
OTHERWISE PACKAGE LOOKS FINE. NO UPDATES PLANNED.
&&
.SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
UT...HEAVY SNOW WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING UNTIL 10 AM MST
FRIDAY MORNING UTZ008.
SNOW ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING UNTIL 10 AM MST FRIDAY
MORNING UTZ006-UTZ007-UTZ009 AND UTZ010
WY...NONE.
ID...NONE.
&&
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
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT 651 AM MST THU NOV 25 2004 IDZ024-025-UTZ001>021-WYZ021-251900- CACHE VALLEY/IDAHO PORTION-CACHE VALLEY/UTAH PORTION-CASTLE COUNTRY- CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS- GLEN CANYON RECREATION AREA/LAKE POWELL- GREAT SALT LAKE DESERT AND MOUNTAINS-HENRY MOUNTAINS- NORTHERN WASATCH FRONT-SALT LAKE AND TOOELE VALLEYS-SAN RAFAEL SWELL- SANPETE/SEVIER VALLEYS-SOUTH CENTRAL UTAH-SOUTHERN WASATCH FRONT- SOUTHWEST UTAH-SOUTHWEST WYOMING-UTAHS DIXIE AND ZION NATIONAL PARK- WASATCH MOUNTAIN VALLEYS-WASATCH MOUNTAINS I-80 NORTH- WASATCH MOUNTAINS SOUTH OF I-80-WASATCH MOUNTAINS/IDAHO PORTION- WASATCH PLATEAU/BOOK CLIFFS-WEST CENTRAL UTAH-WESTERN UINTA BASIN- WESTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS- 651 AM MST THU NOV 25 2004 ...COLD AND SNOWY WEATHER FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND... TWO STORM SYSTEMS WILL BRING COLD AIR AND PRECIPITATION TO THE AREA THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. LIGHT SNOW WILL DEVELOP IN THE MOUNTAINS OF EXTREME SOUTHEAST IDAHO AND NORTHERN UTAH LATE THIS AFTERNOON...THEN CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT... INCREASING IN INTENSITY. THE SNOW SHOULD TAPER OFF BY MID MORNING ON FRIDAY. PRECIPITATION WILL START AS RAIN IN VALLEY LOCATIONS... THEN CHANGE OVER TO SNOW TONIGHT. A HEAVY SNOW WARNING HAS BEEN POSTED FOR THE WASATCH MOUNTAINS SOUTH OF I-80 AND A SNOW ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE WASATCH MOUNTAINS NORTH OF I-80...THE WESTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS...THE WASATCH PLATEAU/BOOK CLIFFS AND WASATCH MOUNTAIN VALLEYS. STORM TOTALS IN THE WARNING AREA WILL BE 8 TO 16 INCHES...WHILE AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 10 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE ADVISORY AREAS. SNOW WILL DEVELOP IN THE MOUNTAIN AREAS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN UTAH EARLY TONIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY MORNING...BUT AMOUNTS WILL BE MUCH LIGHTER...GENERALLY JUST AN INCH OR TWO. MORE SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AS ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM CROSSES THE GREAT BASIN. THE EXACT TRACK OF THIS STORM IS STILL UNCERTAIN...BUT THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY SNOW ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION DURING THIS HOLIDAY WEEKEND. THE PERIOD OF UNSETTLED AND COLD WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO BRING SIGNIFICANT SNOW TO SOME VALLEY LOCATIONS AND HEAVY SNOWFALL TO MOST OF THE MOUNTAINS. THIS WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS FOR TRAVEL AT TIMES FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE WEEKEND. IF YOU HAVE TRAVEL PLANS OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND STAY WELL INFORMED OF THE WEATHER SITUATION. TUNE INTO NOAA WEATHER RADIO... LOCAL BROADCAST STATIONS...OR VISIT WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR UPDATES ON THE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND FORECASTS. BARJENBRUCH
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, November 2004
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: 5431084.