Winter Storm and Avalanche in Utah, March 17 to 18, 2025

Name: Winter Storm and Avalanche in Utah, March 17 to 18, 2025
Start: 2025-03-17T19:10
End: 2025-03-18T22:45
Location: Utah

March 17 to 18, 2025 · NWS SLC · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

A progressive shortwave trough and a subsequent period of colder northwesterly flow brought accumulating snow and impacts to portions of Utah's mountains as well as in portions of the Salt Lake Valley. On the front side of this system, a period of strong winds were observed in several locations across western Utah, especially with and directly after frontal passage.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $60,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS SLC wrote it up.

What forecasters said that day

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 Mar 17, 2:34 PM MST, 4 hours 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 17, 2:34 PM MST, 4 hours 36 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Salt Lake City UT
334 PM MDT Mon Mar 17 2025

.SYNOPSIS...A winter storm will impact much of the region through
at least Tuesday evening. Lake effect snow may bring additional
accumulations to areas south and east of the Great Salt Lake
Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning. The active pattern will
continue across northern Utah with several additional weak systems
through the end of the week.

&&

.SHORT TERM (Through 12Z Wednesday)...A strong cold front will
bring a return to winter for much of the region tonight into
Tuesday morning. A few notable changes with the headlines:

-A winter storm warning has been issued for the Salt Lake Valley.
 This is an upgrade from the winter weather advisory. Storm totals
 of 2 to 6 inches for valley floors, 6 to 12 inches for benches
 are expected. Tuesday morning commuters should consider
 postponing travel until later in the morning across Salt Lake,
 Davis and eastern Tooele Counties.

-Winter weather advisories are now in effect for eastern Box Elder
 and the Cache Valley for tonight into Tuesday morning. While snow
 totals will be less in these areas, expect any snow will quickly
 accumulate on area roads including I-84 from Tremonton to
 Snowville, especially on higher passes.

Afternoon upper air and satellite analysis indicates a strong
upper level trough shifting into northern California. This upper
level low is coincident with a ~130kt jet max rounding the base of
the trough. This energetic trough will continue to dig and
strengthen across the Great Basin tonight.

The associated cold front will undergo a period of frontogenesis
across eastern Nevada into western Utah before the best forcing
shifts eastward early Tuesday morning. Guidance now suggests this
period of frontogenesis will weaken west of the Wasatch
Front...though a band of heavy snow will still progress through
the Wasatch Front...and then stall over Salt Lake County.

Periods of snow will continue into northwest flow, eventually
shifting toward a more showery mode later Tuesday morning into
Tuesday afternoon across the Wasatch Front, mainly Salt Lake
County and south. Snow totals will be heaviest for Salt Lake
County with a combination of a stalling boundary and moist,
unstable northwest flow. Valley floors are looking to see 2 to 6
inches, 6 to 12 benches. A few things to note though...southern
Salt Lake County, particularly near Bluffdale and Herriman may see
the very low end of these ranges based on the current guidance,
while some bench areas along the east side may overperform these
ranges. This looks to be the prototypical snow storm for Salt Lake
County with amounts from 1 inch to over 12 inches all over a
(relatively) small area. Utah County valley floors may also see
totals closer to 2 inches or less.

For areas outside the Wasatch Front and northern mountains, the
initial frontal band of snow will continue for several hours,
gradually transitioning to showers by Tuesday afternoon. Winter
driving conditions are expected on all mountain routes as well as
the I-15 corridor from Nephi to Cedar City tonight into Tuesday.

Again, Tuesday morning commuters across Salt Lake, Davis and
eastern Tooele County should consider postponing travel until
later in the morning to allow crews to catch up from the heavy
snow overnight.

Headlines for the rest of the region including the mountains, I-15
corridor, Sanpete Valley and Wasatch Back remained on track, with
minor adjustments to some snow totals...but otherwise on track.
Wind headlines remain in place as well, though winds have been
underperforming thus far. Expect winds to continue to pick up
through the late afternoon.

The next question is about lake effect/lake enhancement Tuesday
night into Wednesday morning. Current expectation is around a 75%
chance of snow showers developing south and east of the Great Salt
Lake Tuesday evening into Tuesday night. The back edge of the
trough will cross the area between 09-12Z Wednesday morning,
likely bringing an end to any lake effect.

Total additional accumulations will be dependent on how
transitory/stationary any potential band is...longer residence
time will mean heavier accumulations. For now, the evolution looks
to start with lake effect/enhancement impacting areas of Salt
Lake County from the GSL southeast to the Cottonwood Canyons. As
flow shifts to somewhat more northerly near midnight, the
banding/lake enhancement may shift with time toward a more western
Salt Lake County orientation before ending. For now, the Winter
Storm Warning for Salt Lake County goes through 00Z Wednesday, but
if lake effect/enhancement Tuesday night into Wednesday morning
looks to be more impactful, this warning may need to be extended.
Those who plan to commute Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning
across Salt Lake County should monitor the forecast.

.LONG TERM (After 12Z Wednesday)...Ensemble model solutions
continue to converge on a cool and active pattern continuing into
the weekend, with a majority of the precipitation relegated to the
northern half of the CWA. After Tuesday's trough exits, a very cold
northwest flow will persist through Wednesday. Low H7 temps coupled
with a warm GSL suggest a chance of narrow bands of Lake Effect snow
into mid morning. Cold surface temps with even colder wind chill
effects may pose a risk for unsheltered people and pets through late
Wednesday morning.

The next, weaker system rolls through northern Utah and SW Wyoming
Thursday into Friday morning. Warm advection Thursday afternoon
promotes a valley rain/snow mix with lower snow totals in the
mountains than the previous storm. Models have come into better
agreement regarding a more moist third event, with similar rain/snow
mix possible in valley/bench areas as the weekend commences.

The moisture tap begins to shut down at end of the weekend and
forecast period, with some remaining orographic snow shower
potential in the mountains. Models show solid agreement that a
highly amplified ridge will build across the western CONUS for next
week, with temps ramping up well above seasonal norms.

&&

.AVIATION...KSLC...VFR conditions will prevail into the late
evening to early morning hours with gusty winds persisting through
the entirety of the period. Around 03z, VCSH should begin to develop
near the terminal with perhaps occasional -RA accompanied by a
NW'erly wind shift and prevailing -RA with MVFR ceilings by 05z. By
around 07-08z, this should transition to -SN with continued MVFR
ceilings. This will last through 16z before becoming more scattered
in nature as reflected by VCSH with a PROB30 for the remainder of
the period.

.REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...VFR conditions will continue
across all sites with gusty southerly winds ahead of an arriving
cold front this evening. Additionally, southerly winds across the
southern half of the state may gust in excess of 50mph. Snowfall
will begin across all sites with the exception of KSGU beginning
very late this evening lasting through tomorrow morning.

&&

.SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
UT...Wind Advisory until 10 PM MDT this evening for UTZ101.

     Wind Advisory until 8 PM MDT this evening for UTZ102.

     Winter Weather Advisory from 9 PM this evening to 6 PM MDT
     Tuesday for UTZ102-104-106.

     Winter Weather Advisory from 9 PM this evening to 9 AM MDT
     Tuesday for UTZ103-107.

     Winter Storm Warning from midnight tonight to 6 PM MDT Tuesday
     for UTZ105.

     Winter Weather Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 6 PM MDT
     Tuesday for UTZ108.

     Winter Weather Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 9 PM MDT
     Tuesday for UTZ110.

     Winter Storm Warning from 9 PM this evening to 6 AM MDT
     Wednesday for UTZ111.

     Winter Weather Advisory from 9 PM this evening to 9 PM MDT
     Tuesday for UTZ112-113-117.

     Wind Advisory until midnight MDT tonight for UTZ115-119-122-123.

     Winter Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 4 PM MDT
     Tuesday for UTZ116-118-122-125.

WY...None.
&&

Kruse/Verzella/Worster

For more information from NOAA's National Weather Service
visit... http://weather.gov/saltlakecity

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high wind, 2 winter storm, 1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Great Salt Lake Desert and Mountains

When: March 17, 7:10 PM MST to 9:30 PM MST
Where: Great Salt Lake Desert and Mountains forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 40.689, -112.452 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A period of high winds accompanied a frontal passage into western Utah. The first high wind gust was observed at 7:10 PM MST at the I-80 @ mp 1 mesonet station with a gust of 64 mph. The highest wind gusts recorded occurred at the Wendover Port of Entry mesonet station at 7:15 PM MST and at the I-80 @ mp 29 mesonet station at 7:40 PM MST, with gust magnitudes at both peaking at 67 mph. The final high wind gust was recorded at the Wendover Peak mesonet station at 9:30 PM MST with a gust of 61 mph. Several other mesonet stations observed high wind gusts within this period as well.

Winter Storm, Wasatch Mountains South of I-80

When: March 17, 10:00 PM MST to March 18, 10:45 PM MST
Where: Wasatch Mountains South of I-80 forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 40.338, -111.701 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several SNOTEL stations including Cascade Mountain, Mill-D North, and Atwater recorded from 1.6 to 2.6 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 19 to 34 inches of snow. Additionally, many snow safety community partners, including those within the Utah Department of Transportation, observed snow water equivalent ranging from approximately 1.2 to 2.1 inches, resulting in 18 to 32 inches of snow. Finally, high winds were also observed at some of the Higher Peaks of the Wasatch such as Hidden Peak and Mount Baldy, with a peak gust of 102 mph recorded.

Winter Storm, Salt Lake Valley

When: March 18, 12:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where: Salt Lake Valley forecast zone
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 40.668, -111.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous public and spotter reports of snowfall accumulations between 2 to 9 inches were received throughout the day. Given the onset time of snow, adverse to dangerous driving conditions were observed during the morning commute hours particularly, with numerous accidents and slide-offs reported.

High Wind, Castle Country

When: March 18, 9:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: Castle Country forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 39.131, -111.032 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A period of strong post-frontal winds were observed in terrain adjacent locations in Castle Country. The Emery County EM reported that in the town of Emery 2 houses lost roofing materials, 1 house lost its roof, and in one location approximately 50 ft of vinyl fence was blown over. The EM also reported that there were overturned semi trucks on I-70 in this time period, likely due to the strong winds. The MUDDY CREEK NEAR EMERY 4N mesonet station recorded a peak gust of 57 mph at 1:15 PM MST. The FREMONT JUNCTION mesonet station recorded a peak gust of 73 mph at 11:30 PM MST, and also observed several hours of winds roughly gusting in the 60-70 mph range.

Avalanche, Wasatch Mountains South of I-80

When: March 18, 4:17 PM MST to 4:22 PM MST
Where: Wasatch Mountains South of I-80 forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 40.338, -111.701 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Law enforcement in addition to the Utah Avalanche Center reported a natural avalanche in Little Cottonwood Canyon between Snowbird and Alta, which resulted in the partial burial of 3 vehicles containing a total of 5 or 6 passengers. No injuries were reported, and the main canyon road was reopened at approximately 7:30 PM MST.

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
Avalanche: A mass of snow sliding down a mountainside that caused a death, an injury or damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Utah in 2025 Every state in 2025 This day in weather history Warnings in Utah, March 2025

Sources

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: 1238237, 1238245, 1238243, 1238241, 1238246.