There were strong winds throughout Utah before a mountain snow event.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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.
There were strong winds throughout Utah before a mountain snow 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 Apr 4, 2:49 PM MST, 12 hours 41 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Salt Lake City UT
349 PM MDT Thu Apr 4 2024
.SYNOPSIS...Gusty winds will continue across the western valleys
of Utah through this evening, spreading to the eastern valleys
Friday ahead of a strong cold front. Expect a quick moving band of
valley rain and mountain snow with this front Friday morning into
Friday evening. Widespread snow showers will bring significant
mountain snow accumulations Saturday across the north, with even
the potential for some slushy accumulations to northern valley
floors.
&&
.SHORT TERM (Through 12Z Sunday)...Enjoy those spring-like
temperatures today (more akin to early to mid May than early
April) because a cold front will bring a significant change to the
Beehive State Friday into Saturday. Afternoon upper air and
satellite analysis indicates a broad upper level trough near the
West Coast with an upper level low near the Bay Area. A modest jet
max is rounding this trough.
As expected, strong, gusty southerly winds have developed across
western Utah. Widespread wind gusts into the wind advisory range
continue to be reported. Watching the Richfield/Sevier Valley area
for wind gusts to reach advisory criteria, but so far they've
largely remained below that level.
A strong cold front will cross the state from west to east late
Friday morning into early Friday evening. Expect a threat of some
gusty winds in the western valleys ahead of the front, but
anticipate the period of wind gusts over 45 mph will be limited
by a combination of increasing cloud cover and the actual front
crossing the area. Held off on extending the wind advisory for now
to include Friday morning...but will need to be monitored by
future shifts.
As the cold front crosses the Wasatch Front Friday afternoon,
there is a threat of some enhanced convection with strong, gusty
winds. The heaviest precipitation will develop over the Wasatch
Mountains and quickly shift eastward. Aside from a quick couple
inches of snow in the upper Cottonwoods, the impact from the
frontal band is expected to be low for surface transportation.
With a longer residence time in the pre-frontal environment,
expect widespread wind gusts over 45 mph across the eastern
valleys. Current guidance suggests a 10-15% of wind gusts in
excess of 58 mph, primarily centered across Castle Country and the
San Rafael Swell. Given the low threat of wind gusts greater than
58 mph, converted the High Wind Watch to a Wind Advisory.
As the previously mentioned upper level low crosses Utah Saturday,
expect a period of deep, unstable, moist northwest flow. This
should allow for widespread snow showers to develop and impact
those areas that do well in northwest flow including the upper
Cottonwoods. Even the valleys may see slushy accumulations to
valley floors with the very cold airmass in place (around -10C or
so at 700mb). Current thinking is that accumulations (for the
upper Cottonwoods for example, the 25th to 75th percentile is 8
to 18 inches) would support a high end winter weather advisory,
so held off on any Winter Storm Watches. Snow showers will
gradually end Saturday night into Sunday morning.
.LONG TERM (After 12Z Sunday)...Sunday will mark a transition day
between the departing upper-level low from earlier in the weekend
and Pacific NW trough that is expected to drop southeastward into
the Great Basin and pinch off into a closed low by Monday.
Southern and central Utah should see a mostly dry day; ensembles
are in excellent agreement with the timing of the aforementioned
closed low moving well east of our area and a brief shortwave
ridge building over Utah. The one catch is lingering moist
westerly flow for northern Utah creating stubborn clouds from the
Wasatch Front eastward and Highway 6 northward, along with
lingering light mountain showers. While non-impactful, these are
likely to linger throughout the brief break between low pressure
systems. One other potential impact is lingering colder
temperatures near freezing in lower Washington County, although
Sunday morning looks to be warmer than Saturday morning which is
itself fairly marginal (only a 10-20% chance of freezing
temperatures).
The next developing closed low by Monday morning will weaken as
it moves into the area and will be somewhat moisture-starved
compared to the weekend closed low. At 500MB, the center of the
closed low is progged to dive southward along the UT/ID border
early Monday, stirring up showers over central and southern Utah
in the process. Monday afternoon in particular looks to feature
scattered showers with light snow accumulations over the higher
terrain of southern Utah (i.e. a 50/50 chance of a couple inches
above 6,000'). North of Fillmore, not expecting much chance of
precipitation, just a partly cloudy and cool day.
From Tuesday onward, ensembles are in strong agreement with
building a ridge over the western US and shifting into the Great
Basin. Thus, we're looking at another mid-week warming trend with
quiet and dry weather. By Thursday, the NBM 75th percentile easily
exceeds 70 degrees at SLC, and unlike this week it won't be
paired with gusty winds. Looking even further out it time,
ensembles advertise a general zonal flow with some continued
chance of transient trough passages but not as strong as we've
seen recently. Overall, the pattern looks to be quieter compared
to recent weeks with some lingering precip chances and generally
near to above normal temperatures.
&&
.AVIATION...KSLC...VFR conditions will be maintained through the
valid TAF period. Strong and gusty southerly winds will remain in
place for the duration however, with Airport Weather Warning gusts
in excess of 30 mph anticipated through this evening, and once
again late Friday morning/afternoon in advance of a cold front.
Surface wind speeds diminishing overnight, but remaining
moderately gusty.
.REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...VFR conditions will be
maintained across the area with southerly winds prevailing through
the next 24 hours. Focused weather concern will continue to
center around strong and gusty southerly winds, in excess of 30-40
knots across western Utah through this evening, shifting into
eastern Utah as well later Friday morning and afternoon.
&&
.SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
UT...Wind Advisory until midnight MDT tonight for UTZ101-102-115-116-
122.
Wind Advisory from 10 AM to 9 PM MDT Friday for UTZ114-120-121-
128>131.
WY...None.
&&
Kruse/Van Cleave/Merrill
For more information from NOAA's National Weather Service visit...
http://weather.gov/saltlakecityThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 high wind, 1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A wind gust of 62 mph was measured at the I-15 at mile post 57 Cedar City mesonet site. Other wind gusts include 60 mph at I-15 at mile post 62 Cedar City.
A snowfall accumulation of 26.0 inches was measured at Alta - Collins. Other snowfall accumulations include 19.8 inches at Alta - Udot, 19.0 inches at Brighton - Crest, and 18.5 inches at Snowbird.
A wind gust of 60 mph was measured at the Point of the Mountain UDOT mesonet site. Other wind gusts include 60 mph at Pioneer Crossing, 59 mph at Flight Park South, and 59 mph at Lehi.
A wind gust of 68 mph was measured at the I-70 at Salina mesonet site.
A wind gust of 87 mph was measured at the SR-201 at I-80 mesonet site. Other wind gusts include 79 mph at I-80 at mile post 79, and 71 mph at I-80 at mile post 78.
A wind gust of 92 mph was measured at the Marina mesonet site. Other wind gusts include 88 mph at Beach, 85 mph at Great Salt Lake Marina, and 62 mph at I-80 at mile post 107.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, April 2024
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: 1171531, 1171533, 1171525, 1171527, 1171526, 1171528.