The end of September brought the first cold storm of the winter season. This storm created gusty prefrontal winds in western Utah, and dropped the first significant snowfall on the mountains of northern Utah.
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.
The end of September brought the first cold storm of the winter season. This storm created gusty prefrontal winds in western Utah, and dropped the first significant snowfall on the mountains of northern Utah.
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 Sep 29, 3:49 PM MST, 2 hours 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
449 PM MDT TUE SEP 29 2009
.SYNOPSIS...A STRONG COLD PACIFIC STORM MOVING INTO THE GREAT
BASIN TODAY WILL CROSS UTAH TONIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY WEDNESDAY.
WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD BACK IN LATER THURSDAY THROUGH
FRIDAY. ANOTHER COLD SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE AREA THIS WEEKEND.
&&
.DISCUSSION...COLD TROF CONTINUES TO ADVANCE EAST LATE TODAY AND
REMAINS ON TRACK TO ARRIVE IN UTAH THIS EVENING. THE ASSOCIATED
COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE CWA TONIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY WED WITH
STRONG WINDS BOTH AHEAD OF AND BEHIND THE FRONT. CURRENT WIND
HIGHLIGHTS IN GOOD SHAPE AND MAY NEED TO EXTEND THEM ACROSS THE
SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST INTO WED.
THIS SYSTEM HAS TAPPED SOME TROPICAL MOISTURE AND THIS SHOULD
COMBINE WITH THE FRONTAL PRECIP TO ENHANCE THE AMOUNTS ACROSS THE
NORTH. LATEST 18Z MODELS ALSO INDICATE A BETTER THREAT OF
CONVECTIVE PRECIP OVERNIGHT AHEAD OF THE FRONT. PRECIP WILL LAG
THE SURFACE BOUNDARY BY SEVERAL HOURS AND THERE IS THE POTENTIAL
IT MAY HOLD OFF ALONG THE WASATCH FRONT UNTIL ALMOST DAYBREAK WED.
AIRMASS GETS COLD ENOUGH BY THE TIME THE PRECIP TURNS SHOWERY
TOMORROW AFTERNOON TO BRING SNOW LEVELS ALMOST TO THE VALLEY
FLOORS IN HEAVIER SHOWERS.
STILL LOOKS LIKE A WINDOW FOR LAKE EFFECT EXISTS BETWEEN ABOUT
00-09Z THU BEFORE STRONG WARMING ALOFT REDUCES THE DEPTH OF THE
INSTABILITY...AS THE LAKE IS QUITE WARM AND THE AIRMASS IS DEEPLY
COLD. IN FACT...THE NAM IS DEPICTING A GOOD LAKE BAND THAT
ACTUALLY LASTS INTO THU MORNING. IF THIS DOES DEVELOP...IT COULD
PRODUCE A HEAVY ACCUMULATION OF WET SNOW ON THE VALLEY FLOOR
CAUSING CONSIDERABLE TREE DAMAGE. CONFIDENCE IN THIS OCCURRING IS
NOT ALL THAT GREAT HOWEVER SO AM NOT ADDRESSING IT IN THE
FORECASTS YET.
THERE IS ALSO A THREAT OF A FREEZE THU MORNING FOR THE WASATCH
FRONT DEPENDING ON HOW FAST THE CLOUDS CLEAR OUT.
RIDGING BRINGS AN END TO ANY LINGERING PRECIP BY NOON THU AND
KEEPS IT DRY THRU FRI WITH SOME WARMING. THE NEXT COLD LOW IS
FORECAST TO DROP INTO THE WESTERN GREAT BASIN THIS WEEKEND AND
REMAIN IN THIS GENERAL VICINITY THRU MID WEEK. ALL MED RANGE
MODELS HAVE THIS FEATURE WITH SMALL DIFFERENCES IN THE POSITION OF
THE LOW SO CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING THAT WE WILL SEE ANOTHER ROUND
OF COOL WET WEATHER.
&&
.AVIATION...GUSTY SOUTH WINDS WILL CONTINUE AT KSLC THROUGHOUT THE
EVENING HOURS...GUSTING IN EXCESS OF 40 KTS AT TIMES. THERE IS A 20
PERCENT CHANCE VSBY WILL FALL INTO THE MVFR CATEGORY OWING TO
BLOWING DUST DURING THIS TIME. SURFACE FRONT EXPECTED TO REACH THE
TERMINAL BETWEEN 06-07Z...WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE THE FRONTAL
PASSAGE HOLDS OFF UNTIL 08Z OR EVEN 09Z. IT NOW APPEARS STRATIFORM
PRECIPITATION AND PREDOMINANT MVFR/TEMPORARY IFR CONDITIONS WILL
LAG BEHIND THE FRONT BY SEVERAL HOURS...AND HOLD OFF UNTIL AFTER
12Z WEDNESDAY.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...THE APPROACHING COLD PACIFIC TROUGH WILL PUSH A
SURFACE COLD FRONT INTO EXTREME NW UTAH EARLY THIS EVENING...THEN
ACROSS ALL FIRE DISTRICTS BY EARLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. STRONG
SOUTHERLY WINDS COMBINED WITH ALREADY LOW RH VALUES IN THE VALLEYS
WILL KEEP SEVERE FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS MUCH OF THE FIRE
WEATHER DISTRICT THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH AT LEAST
MIDNIGHT. ALSO EXPANDED THE RED FLAG WARNING TO COVER MORE OF THE
EASTERN ZONES THROUGH WED MORNING. MUCH COLDER TEMPS AND HIGHER
RH VALUES WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT INTO THE AREA. COLD TEMPERATURES WILL
LINGER INTO THURSDAY...WITH SOME DRYING OVER THE SOUTHERN FIRE
DISTRICTS EXPECTED. FRIDAY WILL HAVE WARMER/DRIER CONDITIONS...WITH
A NEW PACIFIC TROUGH DROPPING INTO THE WRN GREAT BASIN FOR THE
WEEKEND.
&&
.SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
UT...WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 9 PM TUESDAY TO NOON THURSDAY FOR
UTZ007>009.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 6 AM WEDNESDAY FOR UTZ003-UTZ004-UTZ005-
UTZ015-UTZ016-UTZ019-UTZ020.
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY FOR UTZ420-423-
433>435-438-439-445>449
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM WEDNESDAY FOR UTZ014-UTZ517-UTZ518.
WY...NONE.
&&
WILENSKY/CONGER/SEAMAN
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY (ALL LOWER CASE)HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT 409 PM MDT TUE SEP 29 2009 UTZ001>016-019>021-517-518-WYZ021-301200- CACHE VALLEY/UTAH PORTION-NORTHERN WASATCH FRONT- SALT LAKE AND TOOELE VALLEYS-SOUTHERN WASATCH FRONT- GREAT SALT LAKE DESERT AND MOUNTAINS-WASATCH MOUNTAIN VALLEYS- WASATCH MOUNTAINS I-80 NORTH-WASATCH MOUNTAINS SOUTH OF I-80- WESTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS-WASATCH PLATEAU/BOOK CLIFFS- WESTERN UINTA BASIN-CASTLE COUNTRY-SAN RAFAEL SWELL- SANPETE/SEVIER VALLEYS-WEST CENTRAL UTAH-SOUTHWEST UTAH- UTAHS DIXIE AND ZION NATIONAL PARK-SOUTH CENTRAL UTAH- GLEN CANYON RECREATION AREA/LAKE POWELL-CENTRAL MOUNTAINS- SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS-SOUTHWEST WYOMING- 409 PM MDT TUE SEP 29 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WESTERN TWO THIRDS OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT STRONG GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING STORM SYSTEM. THOSE WITH WIND SENSITIVE OPERATIONS WILL NEED TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS...PARTICULARLY OVER WESTERN AND SOUTHERN UTAH. ADDITIONALLY...THESE WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH A VERY DRY AIRMASS TO RESULT IN CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE STATE THROUGH THE NIGHT. THE STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE OUTLOOK AREA OVERNIGHT...AND RAIN SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP AS A RESULT...WITH SNOW AT THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS. THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH NORTHERN UTAH BY SUNRISE...BRINGING DRAMATICALLY COOLER TEMPERATURES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THE COMBINATION OF GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES WILL CONTINUE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS SOUTHEAST UTAH INTO WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE STRONG PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING...RESULTING IN WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL UTAH. SNOW LEVELS WILL FALL TO AROUND 6000 FEET AND COULD BE LOCALLY LOWER. THIS STORM WILL BRING THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO THE HIGH COUNTRY WEDNESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP DRAMATICALLY...RESULTING IN TEMPERATURES 30 TO 40 DEGREES COOLER THAN HIGHS ON MONDAY. FREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE STATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THOSE WITH OUTDOOR INTERESTS AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS WHO WOULD BE IMPACTED BY SNOW AND COLDER WEATHER SHOULD BE MAKING PREPARATIONS FOR THIS EVENT. ANOTHER COLD PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM MAY AFFECT THE REGION NEXT WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. ROGOWSKI FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY (ALL LOWER CASE)
5 high wind, 3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
In the first storm of the season, Chalk Creek #1 SNOTEL received 1.40 inches liquid equivalent precipitation, or approximately 16 inches of new snow.
In the first storm of the season, Parrish Creek SNOTEL recorded a storm total of 1.00 inches liquid equivalent precipitation, or about 10 inches of new snow based on snow ratios from similar elevations.
The Great Salt Lake Marina sensor recorded a maximum wind gust of 68 mph. Other observations included 67 mph at Vernon Hill and 61 mph at the Vernon sensor.
The Milford ASOS recorded a maximum wind gust of 59 mph. Also, a 58 mph wind gust was recorded at Enterprise RAWS.
Both the Wendover Peak and South Mountain sensors recorded wind gusts of 59 mph.
In the first storm of the season, Alta received 11 inches of new snow, while Snowbird SNOTEL received 1.30 inches liquid equivalent precipitation.
A 60 mph wind gust was recorded at the I-15 at Sevier River sensor.
The Arrowhead sensor at Sundance recorded a maximum wind gust of 76 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, September 2009
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: 197264, 197262, 197183, 197185, 197184, 197263, 197186, 197187.