A winter storm brought an initial surge of widespread snow from January 9 into January 10, with a second bout of snow later January 10 on into January 11. Occasional strong wind gusts were also noted throughout the event.
Every event with a place to put it; 15 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.
A winter storm brought an initial surge of widespread snow from January 9 into January 10, with a second bout of snow later January 10 on into January 11. Occasional strong wind gusts were also noted throughout the event.
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 Jan 8, 4:04 PM MST, 8 hours 56 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Salt Lake City UT
404 PM MST Sun Jan 8 2023
.SYNOPSIS...A weak storm system will graze northern Utah through
this evening, bringing some light snow, primarily to the higher
terrain. A moisture rich Pacific storm system will follow for
Monday through the midweek period with associated mountain snow
and lower elevation valley rain. High pressure will temporarily
move in for the end of the work week before a series of storm
systems impact the area this weekend into early next week.
&&
.SHORT TERM (Through 18Z/11AM Tuesday)...Analysis products early
this afternoon reveal a trough whose loosely-defined base can be
seen propagating northeastward across southern Idaho. Other than
a brief period of light mainly mountain show showers and valley
sprinkles across northern Utah, the wave has produced gusty winds
across exposed mountain peaks of northern Utah, with gusts around
60 mph. These winds will gradually decrease this evening as the
grazing trough and associated enhanced pressure gradient exits.
Precipitation probabilities will exit in kind as well with
remaining showers gradually diminishing by late this evening.
Shortwave ridging will then briefly overspread the area late
tonight and early Monday morning with an attendant dry period.
As we head through the day Monday, a shortwave trough with an
attendant atmospheric river plume will overspread the Great Basin.
Precipitation associated with this system is expected to commence
late Monday morning or early afternoon across the northern
mountains, with precipitation arriving across the southern
and central mountains just a bit later. Precip will begin across
many valley locations by afternoon. Snow levels and thermal
profiles suggest rain for the Wastach Front, central valleys,
southern valleys and the Cache Valley, although there is some
potential for precipitation in the Cache to begin as snow. An
earlier arrival of precipitation will increase odds for precip to
begin as snow. Model cross sections agree that rain will become
the primary precip type here from Monday afternoon through
Tuesday, with NBM 4.1 unconditional p-type probabilities
indicating a 60-70 percent chance for rain during this period
(30-40% chance of snow as a ptype). Higher elevation areas north
of Tremonton will see a period of snow at the onset as well, and
areas of road slush are likely here, per our transportation
partners. For other areas such as the Uinta Basin, the presence
and maintenance of a deep cold pool favors all snow here, as well
as Castle Country -- at least through Tuesday morning. For higher
elevation valleys like Bryce Canyon, all snow is forecast. The
picture is a bit more muddled for the Wasatch Back. Snow is
expected in Park City throughout, but lower elevation areas of the
Wasatch Back such as the Ogden Valley will likely begin as snow,
mix with/change to rain and then go back to snow late Tuesday,
with similar ptype probabilities to those suggested for the
Cache. Another set of valleys were mainly snow is favored include
the Bear River Valley. For now, have issued Winter Weather
Advisories for all Utah mountains and the Uinta Basin where
confidence on precipitation type remaining all snow is most
likely. Should later forecasts trend colder, additional areas may
need to be considered for headlines such as the Cache and Castle
Country. Highest precipitation rates with this system are expected
late Monday evening through Tuesday morning, when juxtaposition
of moisture and lift is maximized. Precipitation will begin to
briefly taper off by the end of the short term period as another
weak shortwave ridge begins to briefly build into the area.
In terms of winds, 700mb winds are forecast to reach 50-55kts
across western Utah late Monday afternoon through Tuesday evening.
Without a doubt, wind-prone areas across western areas like
ridgetops/ridgelines and downslope/gap areas will experience gusts
of at least 50kts during this time. Valley locations across
western Millard/Juab county and Tooele will see gusts in the 40-45
mph range, but there is too much uncertainty regarding areal
extent and duration of wind for a Wind Advisory at this time in
valley locations. Most of the uncertainty is traced to mixing and
efficiency of downward momentum transport during this time, as
0-3km lapse rates remain generally less than 6C/km. Will have
another forecast cycle before wind arrives to assess the need for
an advisory, but for now have settled on messaging the potential.
.LONG TERM (After 18Z/11AM Tuesday)...Quick break in
precipitation as a shortwave ridge slips in between the departing
shortwave and the bulk of the longwave trough finally shifting
into the forecast area Tuesday evening. Expecting a brief period
of subsidence splitting the two systems as a result, though
moisture remains abundant and flow will lead to some orographic
forcing that may overcome the synoptic- scale features. Also
contending with continued warm advection driving some broader
lift. For valleys across this state, this will likely translate to
a brief break in precipitation midday Tuesday, though perhaps not
for the far southern valleys which could see rain showers
continue through the day. The southern mountains will be exposed
to the incoming trough much sooner than the central and northern
mountains, and as a result should see steady precipitation carry
on through, where the northern mountains may see lighter
accumulations during the day. Winds will be gusty across the area,
but likely much less noteworthy than Monday's pre-frontal period.
Big picture remains the same as an increasingly negatively tilted
trough swings into Utah from the southwest, bringing with it
impressive upper level dynamics on the leading edge of a ripping jet
maximum and substantial moisture from a decaying plume of
Atmospheric River moisture. The thermal trough lags the plume some,
and timing of the coldest air will likely be too late for much in
the way of valley impacts outside of where preexisting cold air is
trapped and areas of northeastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming in
the crosshairs of more efficient cold advection further north in the
trough's cold core. Noted that model trends in QPFs over the last
two cycles have been upward, though largely driven by the ECMWF
control run and a handful of EPS members. NBM starting to reflect
this but the spread above the 50th percentile becomes immense, with
75-95th nearly out of touch with what seems currently possible given
the track and speed of this system - shy of the sucker punch the New
Year's storm brought and more a bite off a decaying system. The
dynamics look quite good indeed, but lag the best moisture
availability. Should more ensemble members hop on... will trend QPFs
accordingly, but this may be a case where uncertainty remains large
until this system really takes shape just to our west.
Precipitation will quickly taper on the back end of the system on
Wednesday, and should be largely a wrap area-wide by 00Z Thursday.
Ridging quickly builds in, and more pronounced than we've seen in a
while. With it, warmer and drier weather should set in for the
remainder of the week. Ensembles maintain active weather with
another storm cycle at some point mid or late next weekend, though
details at this time are unclear.
&&
.AVIATION...KSLC...Southeast winds will taper off through the
evening, with light southeast winds through 17Z. Overcast conditions
will transition more scattered or broken through the overnight.
Clouds will increase near sunrise, with overcast conditions by
around 17Z. South winds will gust around 25 knots into the
afternoon. Light rain is likely to start between 21-00Z. Erratic
outflow winds are expected as precipitation starts. Light rain is
expected to last into Wednesday. Ceilings are expected to lower into
MVFR range, particularly through the evening into Tuesday.
.REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...Light winds with dry
conditions are expected through the overnight. Southwest wind gusts
will exceed 30 knots for portions of western Utah and for southwest
Wyoming from 17Z into the evening. Winds will taper off as valley
rain and mountain snow pushes into Utah. Light valley rain will
start during the afternoon for most valleys, with MVFR ceilings
expected through the evening into Tuesday. Mountain snow, with IFR
or LIFR ceilings and visibility will last through Tuesday.
&&
.SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
UT...Winter Weather Advisory from 5 PM Monday to 5 PM MST Wednesday
for UTZ110>114-117-125.
WY...None.
&&
ADeSmet/Wessler/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.
8 heavy snow, 3 winter weather, 2 winter storm, 2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several high elevation SNOTEL stations (above 7000 feet) including Dry Fork, George Creek, and Mining Fork recorded 1.5 to 2.6 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 20 to 36 inches of snow.
Several SNOTEL stations including Parley's Summit, Hardscrabble, and Farmington recorded 2.5 to 6.4 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in a wide range of high snowfall totals of approximately 32 to 94 inches of snow.
Several SNOTEL stations including Payson R.S., Thaynes Canyon, and Snowbird recorded 2.7 to 4.9 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 37 to 67 inches of snow. Similar reports are noted from members of the snow safety community. In addition, winds at Mt. Baldy gusted to 79 mph during the event, and Hidden Peak received gusts up to 97 mph.
Several SNOTEL stations including Fish Lake Utah, Pickle Keg, and Mt. Baldy recorded 0.9 to 3.6 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 12 to 49 inches of snow.
Several SNOTEL stations including Yankee Reservoir, Merchant Valley, and Midway Valley recorded 1.0 to 3.3 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 13 to 45 inches of snow.
Several SNOTEL stations including Buck Pasture, Lakefork Basin, and Trial Lake recorded 1.0 to 3.4 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 14 to 46 inches of snow. In addition, a Coop observer, Heber City 10 ESE, reported a snow water equivalent of 0.94 inches, resulting in approximately 15 inches of snowfall.
Several SNOTEL stations including White River #1, Strawberry Divide, and Mammoth Cottonwood recorded 1.6 to 3.7 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 22 to 47 inches of snow.
A combination of Coop observations and mesonet observations at locations including Kamas, Snyderville, and Liberty indicated 1.1 to 3.5 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 8 to 22 inches of snow.
Coop observations for the storm included snow water equivalent of around 0.7 inches, corresponding to approximately 8 inches of snow in Randolph, and snow water equivalent of around 0.8 inches, corresponding to 11.5 inches of snow in Laketown.
A combination of Coop observer reports and mesonet observations indicated 0.5 to 0.8 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 8 to 10 inches of snow. In addition, the Wellington AmeriFlux mesonet station recorded a wind gust of 71 mph, and the Ferron - Agrimet FRNU mesonet station recorded a wind gust of 66 mph.
A peak wind gust of 67 mph was recorded by the EW4925 Provo mesonet station and a strong wind gust of 66 mph was recorded by the US-6 @ Eureka mesonet station.
Snow Squall. The I-15 at Paragonah mesonet station recorded a period of wind gusts from 20 to 40 mph and visibility between approximately 0.25 to 0.50 miles with moderate to heavy precip reported (snow) as a snow squall moved through the area.
Snow Squall. The I-15 at Beaver Ridge mesonet station recorded a period of wind gusts of 20 to 40 mph and visibility from less than 0.25 miles to 1 mile with heavy precip reported (snow) as a snow squall moved through the area.
A peak wind gust of 68 mph was recoded by the Scipio - Agrimet SCPU mesonet station and a gust of 64 mph was recorded by the I-15 @ MP 169 mesonet station.
Snow Squall. The I-70 at Salina Summit mesonet station recorded a period of wind gusts of 20 to 43 mph and visibility ranging from approximately less than 0.25 miles to 1.50 miles with moderate to heavy precip reported (snow) as a snow squall moved through the area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, January 2023
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: 1075341, 1075352, 1075820, 1075837, 1075839, 1075828, 1075833, 1075348, 1075350, 1075838, 1075344, 1076214, 1076215, 1075835, 1076216.