Image: screen capture from video of “thunder snow” event at a ski resort.
The winter storm that recently blasted the Sierra Nevada mountains also delivered heavy snow to Utah, knocking out power for thousands of homes and businesses.
“A winter storm brought heavy snow to much of Utah on Saturday and into Sunday morning, and more snow is on the way, according to the forecast,” reported the Salt Lake Tribune (SLT). “High wind gusts also knocked out power to about 8,000 Salt Lake City area residents on Saturday evening.
“The National Weather Service’s [NWS] latest snow totals show that as of about 9 a.m. on Sunday, Alta and Brighton had received 13 inches of snow, Solitude had received 12 inches, Park City Mountain had received 10 inches, Snowbasin had received 9 inches, and Sundance had received 5 inches,” SLT said. “Rare “thunder snow” was reported during the snowstorms, according to a National Weather Service forecaster, including in Logan, the Salt Lake Valley and Utah County.”
Wind gusts topped 90 per hour in some areas during the height of the storm.
KSLTV reported that the high winds forced several ski resorts to close their lifts and runs. The resorts closing some or all of their ski days and lifts included Brighton, Deer Vallet, Park City Mountain Resort, Powder Mountain, Snowbird, and Sundance.
The NWS issued avalanche warnings for southern Utah’s highest elevations, forecasting that more snow was expected before the winter storm dissipated.