Northern Utah received even more snowfall during a storm that centered on Christmas Day. In addition, Washington County in far southwest Utah also received gusty northerly winds as the storm exited the area.
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.
Northern Utah received even more snowfall during a storm that centered on Christmas Day. In addition, Washington County in far southwest Utah also received gusty northerly winds as the storm exited the area.
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 Dec 24, 4:27 PM MST, 1 hour 33 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
427 PM MST THU DEC 24 2015
.SYNOPSIS...A COLD UPPER TROUGH WILL CROSS THE GREAT BASIN
TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE REGION
FOR THE WEEKEND.
&&
.SHORT TERM (THRU 00Z MONDAY)...THE COLD UPPER TROF IS DEEPENING
INTO THE WRN GREAT BASIN THIS AFTN WITH SWLY FLOW OVER OUR CWA.
OVERRUNNING PRECIP HAS CONTINUED ACROSS SRN UT THRU THE DAY WITH
SNOW FAIRLY STEADY OVER PORTIONS OF THE SRN MTNS AND SERN VALLEYS.
EXPECT THESE TO CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT AND LIFT NWD INTO THE
E-CENTRAL VALLEYS AS A SURFACE LOW FORMS OVER ROUGHLY CENTRAL UT
WITH A COLD FRONT EXTENDING SWWD FROM THE LOW SWINGING INTO SWRN
UT.
LIGHT PRECIP WILL INCREASE ACROSS NRN UT THIS EVENING AS WARM
ADVECTION LIFT DEVELOPS THERE THEN INCREASES AFTER MIDNIGHT AS THE
INVERTED SURFACE TROF NORTH OF THE LOW SHIFTS EWD ACROSS THE
NORTH.
SNOW WILL ALSO BECOME WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE SRN CWA AS THE SURFACE
LOW SHIFTS EWD AND PRECIP INCREASES ALONG THE ASSOCIATED FRONTAL
BAND. HAVE EXPANDED THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES TO COVER MUCH
OF THE CWA INCLUDING DIXIE WHERE SOME LIGHT ACCUMULATION IS
POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY FRI. IT LOOKS LIKE THE FAR NORTH
WILL RECEIVE THE LIGHTEST SNOWFALL AND LEFT OUT THESE ZONES FOR
NOW. EVEN LIGHTER AMOUNTS IN THE COLD NORTHERN VALLEYS COULD
CREATE TRAVEL PROBLEMS DUE TO THE SNOW STICKING TO COLD ROADS.
THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR LAKE ENHANCEMENT OF SNOW SHOWERS INTO
SALT LAKE AND DAVIS COUNTIES FRI MORNING ALTHO A TRUE LAKE BAND
IS NOT LIKELY.
SNOW TAPERS OFF FRI AFTN AS THE UPPER TROF STARTS TO SPLIT
STRONGLY ALTHO SOME PRECIP COULD LINGER INTO EARLY SAT UNDER THE
COLD POOL ALOFT.
STRONG NELY FLOW AND BUILDING HEIGHTS SHUT DOWN ANY LINGERING
PRECIP FAIRLY QUICKLY BY SAT MORNING WITH A POTENTIAL STRONG
DOWNSLOPE WIND EVENT FOR SWRN UT SAT INTO SAT NIGHT. THESE GUSTY
NORTH WINDS WILL NOT BE LIMITED TO THE FAR SOUTHWEST AND COULD
CREATE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF THE DRY POWDERY SNOW
ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN UT ON SAT.
THE RIDGE SHIFTS OVERHEAD SUNDAY WITH THE AIRMASS ALOFT WARMING UP
AND PUTTING A STRONG LID ON THE VALLEYS ALLOWING INVERSIONS TO
BECOME WELL DEVELOPED.
.LONG TERM (AFTER 00Z MONDAY)...HIGH PRESSURE AND VALLEY
INVERSIONS CONTINUE INTO SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...AS THE
FORECAST AREA REMAINS BETWEEN THE CLOSED LOW EXITING INTO NEW
MEXICO/TEXAS...AND A SHORTWAVE MOVING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.
THE NEXT TROUGH DIGS INTO THE GREAT BASIN THROUGH THE DAY MONDAY.
THIS TROUGH IS RELATIVELY DRY...AND THE BEST INSTABILITY MOVES
SOUTH OF THE CWA...SO THE CHANCE OF ANY DECENT PRECIPITATION
WITH THIS TROUGH IS LOW. THAT SAID...THE ADDITIONAL COLD AIR ALOFT
SHOULD HELP WEAKEN OR PREVENT PROLONGED VALLEY INVERSION
CONDITIONS. THIS MEANS THAT THE TROUGH SHOULD HELP A BIT WITH AIR
STAGNATION ISSUES...EVEN IF IT DOES NOT DO MUCH IN THE WAY OF
PRECIPITATION OR CHANGE IN VALLEY TEMPERATURES.
A SIMILAR TROUGH DROPS IN FROM THE NORTH ON WEDNESDAY AND
THURSDAY...AND COULD BRING SOME LIGHT SNOWFALL TO THE NORTHERN
HALF OF THE AREA. TEMPERATURES REMAIN COLD THROUGH PRETTY MUCH
THE ENTIRE EXTENDED FORECAST...WITH MANY LOCATIONS STRUGGLING TO
WARM ABOVE FREEZING IN THE AFTERNOONS. BEYOND THURSDAY...THE
GENERAL IDEA IN THE GLOBAL MODELS LOOKS TO BE A RIDGE BUILDING
OVER MUCH OF THE WESTERN CONUS FOR THE BEGINNING OF 2016...SO
INVERSION CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY RETURN FOR THE NEW YEAR.
&&
.AVIATION...CEILINGS AT THE SLC TERMINAL WILL CONTINUE TO LOWER
THROUGH THE EVENING...AND SHOULD DROP BELOW 7000FT BETWEEN 03Z AND
06Z. SNOW WILL LIKELY BEGIN BETWEEN 05Z AND 09Z...WITH IFR
CONDITIONS IN SNOW EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST 12Z. SNOW
ACCUMULATION ON UNTREATED PAVED SURFACES IS EXPECTED TO BE 1-3
INCHES...WITH MORE POSSIBLE IF STEADY SNOW SHOWERS CONTINUE PAST
18Z FRIDAY.
&&
.SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
UT...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM MST FRIDAY FOR UTZ002>004-
006>016-020-517-518.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON MST FRIDAY FOR UTZ019.
WY...NONE.
&&
SHORT TERM...WILENSKY
LONG TERM/AVIATION...SCHOENING
FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY (ALL LOWER CASE)
FOR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
VISIT...
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY/GENERAL/AFD_FAQS.PHP (ALL LOWER CASE)HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT 354 PM MST THU DEC 24 2015 UTZ001>016-019>021-517-518-WYZ021-251400- 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- 354 PM MST THU DEC 24 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WESTERN TWO THIRDS OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT LIGHT SNOW WILL OVERSPREAD MUCH OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING THIS EVENING...BECOMING HEAVY AT TIMES OVERNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SNOW WILL CONTINUE HEAVY AT TIMES CHRISTMAS MORNING...TAPERING OFF DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. STRONG NORTHERLY WIND GUSTS ARE ANTICIPATING FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN UTAH FAVORED FOR DOWNSLOPE OR CANYON WINDS...INCLUDING MUCH OF WASHINGTON COUNTY OUTSIDE THE ST GEORGE AREA. VERY COLD AIR ARRIVING THIS WEEKEND WILL LEAD TO SOME OF THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OF THE SEASON THIS 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) FOR INFORMATION ON POTENTIAL ROAD TRAVEL IMPACTS VISIT... HTTP://WWW.UDOTTRAFFIC.UTAH.GOV/ROADWEATHERFORECAST.ASPX
3 winter storm, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Storm totals from the southern Wasatch Front included 14 inches in SunCrest, 9 inches in Lehi and American Fork, and 8 inches in Nephi.
Sundance Mountain Resort received the most snow from this storm with a total of 19 new inches. Other snowfall reports included 13 inches in Provo Canyon and 12 inches at both Alta Ski Lifts and Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort.
Storm total snowfall reports from this relatively quick event included 10 inches in Tooele, Cottonwood Heights, and South Jordan, as well as 8.5 inches in Taylorsville, 8 inches in Kearns, and 7 inches in Sandy.
The Badger Spring RAWS recorded strong northeasterly wind gusts for several hours, including a peak gust of 69 mph. The White Reef RAWS also recorded a maximum gust of 66 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, December 2015
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: 612523, 612525, 612522, 611519.