A shortwave trough moved into the region resulting in a winter storm, characterized by a more mild southwesterly flow period initially which later on transitioned to a colder northwesterly flow. This event brought substantial snow accumulations to Utah's mountains, with some lighter accumulations noted at many lower elevation spots.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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 shortwave trough moved into the region resulting in a winter storm, characterized by a more mild southwesterly flow period initially which later on transitioned to a colder northwesterly flow. This event brought substantial snow accumulations to Utah's mountains, with some lighter accumulations noted at many lower elevation spots. Additionally, an avalanche in the western Uinta mountains resulted in the fatality of a backcountry skier.
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 5, 4:05 PM MST, 2 hours 55 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Salt Lake City UT
405 PM MST Wed Mar 5 2025
.SYNOPSIS...A winter storm will bring valley rain and mountain
snow through at least Friday evening. A period of lower elevation
valley snowfall may bring impactful accumulations to portions of
the Wasatch Front and Cache Valley early Friday morning. High
pressure builds into the region over the weekend, with another
storm arriving on the doorstep early next week.
&&
.SHORT TERM (Through 00Z Saturday/ 5PM Friday)...A winter storm
has begun spreading into Utah and southwest Wyoming this afternoon
and will continue to bring impacts through Friday evening. A few
key points of the storm system are as follows:
* Warmer temperatures in the first half of the storm will bring
high elevation snowfall and valley rain through at least early
Thursday evening. Moderate to heavy mountain snowfall is
expected through this period. Higher elevation valleys (i.e.
Park City and Uinta County, WY will see snowfall through the
event).
* A cold front pushes through the area Thursday evening, dropping
temperatures and forcing snow levels down to valley floors.
There is currently about a 30-40% chance that snowfall amounts
of 2-4 inches are accumulated from late Thursday through early
Friday, increasing concern for the morning commute for portions of
the Wasatch Front and the Cache Valley.
* Similar snow accumulations (2-4 inches) will be possible (20-30%
chance) for Utah's central and southern valley areas late
Thursday through Friday, however, impacts are expected to be
generally lower given the timing.
Deep south to southwesterly flow will be the dominant flow
regime from now through Thursday evening across Utah and southwest
Wyoming. Warm advection paired with a moist environment will allow
for generally widespread precipitation to be maintained across
Utah and southwest Wyoming through at least Thursday morning.
Given the warm temperatures, snow levels will be restricted to the
higher elevations (6,500-7,000ft for northern Utah, 7,000-7,500ft
for southern Utah) through the first half of the overnight period,
then drop gradually as colder air works its way into the eastern
Great Basin (~6,000ft by 5AM Thursday).
Heading through the day on Thursday, the mid-level cold core will
begin filling into the region, helping to increase instability
across the forecast area and transition the dominant precipitation
regime into a more showery mode (especially during the afternoon
hours). Still thinking that large scale, stratiform precipitation
will be seen across the northern and northwestern portions of
Utah, but embedded heavier showers will become more likely
tomorrow (especially over the higher terrain).
As we move through Thursday evening, the near surface cold front
will push into the area from the west, with temperatures becoming
cold enough to favor snowfall in the lower elevation valley areas
from about 5-6PM Thursday through the overnight hours into mid-
morning Friday. This period will be of higher concern for
impactful snow accumulations on the Wasatch Front and Cache
Valley, as it looks like accumulating snowfall could be present
during the morning commute. For now, have not issued any headlines
as we would like to see greater agreement amongst models and
coordinate a message with partners. That said, it's worth making a
plan now to prepare for a potentially slick drive on Friday
morning. Current HREF model spread shows generally 0 to 4 inches
of snow along the Wasatch Front through 5AM Friday with locally up
to 5-8 inches on the bench areas (~15% chance) and 1 to 4 inches
in the Cache Valley with up to 8 to 10 inches possible on the
benches (10-15% chance). Again... it's worth it to make a plan
now.
Through Friday, widespread precipitation is generally expected to
come to an end and temperatures will become warm enough to see a
transition back to rain for the lower elevation valleys. Will need
to monitor trends in model forecasts going forward, as these
events that show potential for lightly forced, wrap around
precipitation could linger on for longer than anticipated in the
valleys. Mountainous areas are generally expected to maintain
upslope flow through the day.
.LONG TERM (After 00Z Saturday/ 5PM Friday)...Lingering orographic
precipitation is expected to taper off across the region by early
Saturday morning as the trough exits eastward. A fast-moving ridge
careens across the state during the weekend, quickly warming surface
temperatures and turning Saturday's northerly flow at 700mb to
southerly on Sunday.
Ensemble solutions are in good agreement regarding active weather
for the workweek, with the first of two systems likely impacting the
area Tuesday into Wednesday. Winds at 700mb could potentially remain
south during the bulk of this brief precipitation period, with snow
levels remaining above the valley floors. The end of the forecast
period shows a second, colder system following on the heels of the
first. Timing and amounts of precipitation of these systems should
become more clear as models move into agreement.
&&
.AVIATION...KSLC...VFR conditions will transition to a mix of
VFR/MVFR later this evening as a storm moves into the airspace. A
moist southerly flow will drop CIGs close to MVFR with mountain
precipitation ongoing resulting in mountain obscuration. Southerly
flow will keep the airspace mostly shadowed from consistent rain,
but some intermittent light rain will persist through the entire
period. Surface winds will stay southerly with gusts 20-25 kt.
.REST OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING...Widespread valley rain and
mountain snow is spreading over most of the airspace ahead of a
trough pushing into the west. This is resulting in a mix of VFR/MVFR
CIGs with mountain obscuration areawide. CIGs will continue to drop
this evening along with continued widespread precipitation that will
allow more terminals transitioning to IFR overnight. Snow levels
will generally stay >6000 ft overnight. Winds will remain mostly
southerly with some low end gusts 20-25kt.
&&
.SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
UT...Winter Weather Advisory until noon MST Friday for UTZ108.
Winter Weather Advisory until 2 AM MST Friday for UTZ109.
Winter Storm Warning until 5 PM MST Friday for UTZ110>113-117-
125.
WY...Winter Weather Advisory until noon MST Friday for WYZ021.
&&
SHORT TERM...Webber
LONG TERM...Verzella
AVIATION...Mahan
For more information from NOAA's National Weather Service visit...
http://weather.gov/saltlakecityThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 heavy snow, 1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.
Several SNOTEL stations including USU Doc Daniel, Powder Mountain, and Ben Lomond Peak recorded from 1.4 to 4.6 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 19 to 55 inches of snow.
Several SNOTEL stations including Clear Creek #2, Huntington Horse, and Mammoth-Cottonwood recorded from 1.5 to 2.0 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 17 to 26 inches of snow.
Several SNOTEL stations including Mill-d North, Cascade Mountain, and Timpanogos Divide recorded from 1.4 to 2.8 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 19 to 38 inches of snow. Additionally, many snow safety community partners, including those within the Utah Department of Transportation, observed snow water equivalent ranging from approximately 1.8 to 2.8 inches, resulting in 21 to 27 inches of snow.
Several SNOTEL stations including Spirit Lk, Lakefork Basin, and Brown Duck recorded from 0.9 to 1.8 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 12 to 24 inches of snow.
Several SNOTEL stations including Beaver Dams, Pickle Keg, and Oak Creek recorded from 1.0 to 2.3 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 12 to 27 inches of snow.
Several SNOTEL stations including Little Grassy, Brian Head, and Kolob recorded from 1.4 to 2.6 inches of snow water equivalent, resulting in approximately 14 to 34 inches of snow.
A report of a skier who failed to return home by 500 pm MST was received by Summit County Dispatch on the evening of the event 3/7. A search and rescue operation was started that evening, and crews found evidence of a recent slide, but due to reportedly extremely hazardous conditions the crews had to wait to until the following morning. Search and continue the search rescue crew ultimately found the body of a deceased 51 year old man at 1049 am MST, with a determination that he had been caught in the avalanche on a steep northeast aspect of Hoyt Peaks NE bowl. A forecaster with the Utah Avalanche Center stated that warm and strong spring sunshine may have been a contributing factor to reactivate multiple weak layers buried beneath the current snowpack. A nearby SNOTEL, Beaver Divide, recorded 1.1 inches of water from the start of the event through 500 pm MST 3/7, which at a reasonable 13 to 1 snow to liquid ratio would equate to 14.3 inches of snow. The closest SNOTEL, Redden Mine LWR, through the same time period recorded 2.5 inches of water, or at the same ratio approximately 32.5 inches of snow.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche, Western Uinta Mountains | 2025-03-07 | 51 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, March 2025
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: 1231288, 1235537, 1231537, 1235536, 1235541, 1235542, 1231299.