Strong winds ahead of a winter storm occurred throughout Utah with more than 3 feet of snow for the northern Utah mountains.
Every event with a place to put it; 13 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
Strong winds ahead of a winter storm occurred throughout Utah with more than 3 feet of snow for the northern Utah mountains.
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 10, 3:55 PM MST, 8 hours 5 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Salt Lake City UT
355 PM MST Sat Dec 10 2022
.SYNOPSIS...A potent winter storm will move through the area
Sunday through early Tuesday, bringing strong winds, accumulating
snow, and challenging conditions for travel. Unsettled weather
continues through the week and for the foreseeable future.
&&
.SHORT TERM (Through 12Z Monday)...A deep upper level trough
situated just off the Pacific Northwest coast continues to amplify
as it shifts eastward into the forecast area. The impacts from
this potent system are already being felt across the forecast area
with enhanced wind gusts throughout the day today, and increasing
moisture aloft lending itself to increasingly cloudy skies
statewide. Winds will increase aloft tonight as an area of 50kt H7
winds along the tightening gradient moves in overhead, likely
mixing to the surface and driving gusty winds overnight in all but
the most sheltered and thermally stable valleys. Winds will peak
midday Sunday, with areas of high exposed terrain bearing the
brunt of these gusts.
As the trough axis drifts east and inland, peak moisture
transport will wrap around the base of the low and into
southwestern Utah, and given good dynamical support aloft,
expecting a period of intense precipitation Sunday evening for
southern and central Utah especially. Strong warm advection
preceding the arrival of the heaviest precipitation continues to
complicate forecasts for precipitation type, though higher
elevations will see ample cold air at the onset, allowing for
substantial snowfall across the southern mountains. Lower-lying
areas should see rain change over to all snow by 03-06Z Monday,
with accumulating snow stacking up rapidly after the changeover.
Given the rather diffuse nature of the cold front, really relying
on steady cold advection to drop temperatures over the course of
the evening and overnight rather than a sharp changeover behind
the cold front.
A similar scenario will play out for the northern and central
valleys, though start time for the precipitation will be delayed
some given the south to north moisture transport. Expecting nearly
the entire I-15 corridor to see accumulating snowfall after
midnight, though some substantial uncertainty exists in how long
snowfall will continue into Monday morning. The northern and
central mountains as well as mountain valleys of the Wasatch Back
should have ample cold air to see precipitation fall as snow from
the onset, and as a result, are expected to see greater impacts
than areas west of the mountain spine.
.LONG TERM (After 12Z Monday)...The band of moderate to heavy
precipitation will push eastward by daylight hours Monday as a
very deep upper-level low slowly slides eastward through the
northern Great Basin. With the early portion of this forecast
period now captured by high-resolution models, there are
indications that the Uinta Basin southward through Castle
Country/San Rafael Swell to Lake Powell will be impacted by the
same band of precipitation that moved through the rest of the
forecast area earlier overnight. While the forecasted amounts are
currently not as substantial as west of the central spine of Utah
mountains, will need to keep an eye on potential impacts for these
eastern valleys as well. Otherwise, expect a lull in the action
Monday morning with a few orographic showers continuing over the
mountains mainly east of I-15. The timing of this lull will have
implications for the Monday morning commute impacts.
The focus then shifts to a potential extended period of wrap-around
moisture over the northern portions of the forecast area in a cold,
unstable environment. This would be favorable for the mountains and
several valleys of northern Utah including the Wasatch Front to have
additional rounds of low-density snow along with cold temperatures
in the upper 20s or less for the warmest locations. Terrain favored
in northwest flow such as the Cottonwoods could see substantial
additional accumulations. This remains an uncertain aspect of our
storm, however, as model runs over the last 24 hours have had a
couple distinct solutions. One features a farther north center of
the upper-level closed low, and in this scenario most of our area
misses out on the best wrap-around precipitation which is either
less intense or to our north in Idaho. The other has the upper low
slightly farther south, and places the majority of our area in a
favorable position for wrap-around precip. Taking a close look at
today's 12Z EPS membership, the number of completely dry members has
dropped to 5 or less (out of 50), which is a decrease from
yesterday's cycles. That said, looking further at membership of the
GEFS and Canadian ensembles, there are still a lot of details to work
out that will effect who gets how much. All told, there is enough
potential from around Salt Lake County northward that the valley
Winter Weather Advisories have been issued through the Tuesday
morning commute, should the latter scenario verify.
Cold weather will settle into the area for the remainder of the work
week and into next weekend, with some hints of additional wrap-
around shortwaves that would at least keep us well mixed if not
trigger a few mountain snow showers. Beyond that point, ensembles
struggle to settle on a definitive pattern, but the general theme is
cold with potential troughing in the Western US, favoring unsettled
and cold conditions for our area.
&&
.AVIATION...KSLC...Southeast winds gusting near 30 knots are
expected into the evening. Winds will taper off some, but are
expected to stay enhanced overnight. Broken to overcast ceilings
will be around 12,000 ft. South winds will increase during the
morning, with gusts around 30 knots through much of the afternoon.
Scattered showers will build in around 20Z. Precipitation is
expected to be rain through the day with a transition to snow
overnight into Monday. LIFR or IFR ceilings and visibility are
likely with snow beginning around 03-06Z.
.REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...Gusty south to southwest winds
will last through most of Sunday. The strongest speeds will be in
western Utah. Clouds will lower as a storm system brings valley rain
and mountain snow starting Sunday. Most valleys will be dry through
21Z. Scattered rain showers are expected into the evening. A
transition to snow and LIFR or IFR ceilings and visibility is
expected into Monday.
&&
.SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
UT...Wind Advisory from 2 AM to 8 PM MST Sunday for UTZ101-102-115-
122.
Winter Weather Advisory from 5 PM Sunday to 11 AM MST Tuesday
for UTZ102>105-107-109.
Winter Weather Advisory from 5 PM Sunday to 11 AM MST Monday for
UTZ106-116.
Winter Storm Watch from Sunday morning through Tuesday morning
for UTZ108-110>113-117.
Winter Weather Advisory from 11 AM Sunday to 11 AM MST Monday
for UTZ122.
Winter Storm Warning from 11 AM Sunday to 11 AM MST Monday for
UTZ125.
Winter Weather Advisory from 2 PM Sunday to 11 AM MST Monday for
UTZ126>128.
WY...None.
&&
Wessler/VanCleave/Wilson
For more information from NOAA's National Weather Service visit...
http://weather.gov/saltlakecity
For frequently asked questions about the Area Forecast Discussion
visit...
http://weather.gov/saltlakecity/general/afd_faqs.phpThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
9 heavy snow, 4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Brigham City received 8.9 inches of snow with 0.89 inches of snow water equivalent.
The Bountiful Bench received a snow accumulation of 15.8 inches with 1.04 inches of snow water equivalent. A snow accumulation of 13.4 was observed at Fruit Heights with 1.24 inches of snow water equivalent. West Bountiful received 11.5 of snow with 1.25 inches of snow water equivalent. Bountiful received 11.0 inches of snow with 1.21 inches of snow water equivalent.
A snow accumulation of 13.0 inches was observed at the Upper Avenues. East Millcreek received 12.2 of snow with 1.18 inches of snow water equivalent. Sandy picked up 11.6 of snow with 1.37 inches of snow water equivalent. At the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office Salt Lake City, UT, 10.5 of snow was recorded with 0.90 inches of snow water equivalent.
A snowfall accumulation of 9.5 inches with 0.98 inches of snow water equivalent was observed at Alpine. Springville received 8.0 of snow with 0.59 inches of snow water equivalent. A snowfall accumulation of 6.1 inches with 0.67 inches of of snow water equivalent was observed at Lehi.
A snowfall accumulation of 9.0 inches with 0.72 inches of snow water equivalent was observed at Logan. A snowfall accumulation of 7.0 inches of snow with 0.68 inches of snow water equivalent was observed at Richmond.
Powder Mountain received 32.0 inches of snow with 2.21 inches of snow water equivalent. Snowbasin Resort received an accumulation of 30.0 of snow with 2.08 inches of snow water equivalent.
The Alta-Collins site at Alta Ski Area recorded 47.0 of snow with 2.17 inches of snow water equivalent. Snowbird received 37.0 of snow with 1.85 inches of snow water equivalent. The Brighton Crest site at Brighton recorded 30.0 of snow with 1.75 inches of snow water equivalent. A snowfall accumulation of 27.0 inches with 1.17 inches of snow water equivalent was observed at Canyons Village - Park City.
SNOTEL sites recorded 1.2 to 1.8 inches of snow water equivalant, or approximately 25 to 38 inches of snow.
SNOTEL sites recorded 1.2 to 1.8 inches of snow water equivalant, or approximately 24 to 36 inches of snow.
A wind gust of 81 mph was recorded at the Lofty Lake Peak mesonet site.
A wind gust of 79 mph was observed at the Central Wasatch Peaks mesonet site. Other wind gusts include 76 mph at the Cardiff Peak mesonet site and 75 mph at the Reynolds Peak mesonet site.
A peak wind gust of 76 mph was recorded at the SR-201 at I-80 mesonet site. Other wind gusts include 67 mph at the Vernon Hill mesonet site and 66 mph at the SR-112 @ MP 6 Utah Avenue mesonet site.
A wind gust of 62 mph was recorded at the I-15 at MP 62.5 North Cedar City mesonet site.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, December 2022
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: 1068718, 1068725, 1068730, 1068751, 1068762, 1068763, 1068764, 1068766, 1068767, 1068715, 1068714, 1068713, 1068716.