Utah winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 29 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 4,165 winter storm records in Utah from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 128 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the January 11, 1998 winter storm in Juab County and 4 more: 4 deaths, 8 injuries and $290,000 in damage in 2025 dollars across 2 records. Utah ranks 32nd of 51 states and territories by count and 38th of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in Utah, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 4,1651996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 128average
- Deaths
- 471,374 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $111Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 1998333 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are winter storm records common in Utah?
Utah averages about 128 winter storm records a year since 2000, 32nd of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1998 (333). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Utah records 504 winter storm records since 1996, 38th of 50 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Utah have the most winter storm records?
Per square mile, Davis County leads Utah: 226 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 695.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Wasatch County has the most winter storm records (956 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is winter storm season in Utah?
40% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The busiest month is December (894 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 780 · Feb 735 · Mar 662 · Apr 375 · May 63 · Jun 15 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 17 · Oct 158 · Nov 466 · Dec 894 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in Utah?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-01-11 | Winter StormJuab County and 4 more · forecast zone Wasatch Mountains South Of I80 One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A broad Pacific trough moved through the region. High winds occurred with the cold front on the 11th. Some of the highest gusts included: Mt. Ogden 107 mph (93kts), Hidden Peak 71 mph (62kts), Bountiful 50 mph (43kts), NWSFO SLC 47 mph (41kts) and Logan 43 mph (37kts). Criteria snow fell in all listed zones with Alta ... | 4 | 8 | $290K | |
| 1997-03-31 | Winter StormCarbon County and 5 more · forecast zone Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A strong cold front roared through Utah on this date. High winds and local heavy snowfall were the main weather problems with this system. 6-14" of snow accumulated in the northern mountains and 2-6" elsewhere. High winds caused extensive damage. Some peak wind gusts were: Logan Peak (9600' ASL) 95 mph (83 kts), ... | 3 | 60 | $3.7M | |
| 1997-01-11 | BlizzardCache County and 4 more · forecast zone Wasatch Mountains I80 North One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A historic winter storm brought death and destruction to Utah during this 3 day period in January. Initially a moist westerly flow was in place over the state. Then a strong arctic front blew through on the 12th creating blizzard conditions. High northeast- east winds were reported along and behind the arctic front. ... | 3 | 50 | $74M | |
| 2001-11-29 | Winter StormJuab County and Utah County · forecast zone W Utah T X Nw/P X E Juab One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Another strong storm pounded Northern Utah, resulting in 3 fatalities. A 9-year-old girl was killed when a snowplow lost control in heavy snow and low visibilities, colliding into a school bus near Delta. Twelve other children were injured in the accident. Also, a head-on collision in heavy snow and icy roads resulted ... | 3 | 13 | $117K | |
| 2023-03-21 | Winter WeatherGarfield County and 2 more · forecast zone South Central Utah A two-vehicle crash occurred just before 7PM MDT on U.S. Highway 89, and resulted in 3 fatalities. The Utah Department of Transportation reported that it was snowing at the time of the accident and the road was snow-covered. The Utah Highway Patrol indicated that weather was a likely factor in the crash. Though ... | 3 | 1 | $39K | |
| 2002-03-07 | Winter StormSalt Lake County and Tooele County · forecast zone W Salt Lake T X W/E Toole T X E One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A ferocious cold front moved across Northern Utah with lightning, small hail and heavy snow. Very heavy snow along with strong winds made driving treacherous several hours after frontal passage. Around 200 accidents occurred in the Salt Lake Valley on the 8th, with 2 weather-related traffic fatalities and about 50 ... | 2 | 50 | $328K | |
| 1998-02-07 | Heavy SnowCarbon County and Emery County · forecast zone P Sc Carbon/Nw Emery T X Nw One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Periods of heavy snow occurred in the state. Numerous traffic accidents resulted in injuries and 2 fatalities. Brighton and Solitude had 33" of snow and Enterprise had 14" for the highest storm totals. | 2 | 20 | $181K | |
| 1998-01-15 | Heavy SnowJuab County and 4 more · forecast zone W Summit T Nw/Se Salt Lake/Wasatch X Sc/E Utah/P X E Juab/X Nw San Pete One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A moist west-northwest flow with embedded shortwaves was over the region during this time. Avalanches continued to occur in the Wasatch mountains. The highest snow totals were at Alta 30" and Trenton 7" (valleys). 2 snowmobilers were killed in separates slides. The first fatality occurred in the Pleasant Creek area of ... | 2 | 18 | $398K | |
| 2005-03-24 | Winter StormBox Elder County and Tooele County · forecast zone Great Salt Lake Desert And Mountains/Wendover/Snowville One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Icy roads during the 18-26th episode resulted in numerous crashes on Utah roads. One fatality occurred 23 miles south of Nephiwhen a 76 year old male died when he lost control of his vehicle on I-15. There was one additional injury. Another fatality occurred on SR 112 in Tooele, when a 20 month-old boy was ejected ... | 2 | 8 | – | |
| 2003-12-28 | Winter StormBeaver County and 9 more · forecast zone Central And Southwest Mountains Another potent winter storm hit much of Utah, with the northern part of the state the hardest hit. Weather was believed to be the main factor in 2 traffic fatalities. Several hundred minor accidents and fender benders occurred up and down the Wasatch Front, with no major injuries reported. Strong south winds ahead of ... | 2 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest winter storm records in Utah
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-01-11 | BlizzardCache County and 4 more · forecast zone Wasatch Mountains I80 North One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 3 | 50 | $74M | |
| 1997-03-31 | Winter StormCarbon County and 5 more · forecast zone Wasatch Plateau/Book Cliffs One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 3 | 60 | $3.7M | |
| 2003-12-25 | Winter StormBox Elder County and 2 more · forecast zone Ne Box Elder T X Ne/W Weber/Davis One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $2.1M | |
| 1998-02-21 | Winter StormCache County · forecast zone Nw Cache | 0 | 40 | $2.0M | |
| 1996-12-01 | Winter StormSalt Lake County and Tooele County · forecast zone Salt Lake And Toole Valleys | 0 | 30 | $1.9M | |
| 1996-10-24 | Winter StormSalt Lake County and Tooele County · forecast zone Salt Lake And Toole Valleys | 0 | 20 | $1.9M | |
| 2026-02-16 | Winter StormBox Elder County and 7 more · forecast zone Wasatch Mountains I-80 North One storm episode: 19 records in 14 places, 2026-02-16 to 2026-02-18; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 2 | $1.5M | |
| 2002-01-27 | Winter StormSalt Lake County and Tooele County · forecast zone Salt Lake And Toole Valleys One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 38 | $1.2M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm records becoming more frequent in Utah?
Utah's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Utah | United States | Utah's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 801 | 32,893 | 2.4% |
| 2000s | 1,496 | 88,805 | 1.7% |
| 2010s | 1,214 | 103,626 | 1.2% |
| 2020-26 | 654 | 62,015 | 1.1% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in Utah
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-18 | Winter WeatherGrand County and San Juan County · forecast zone La Sal & Abajo Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-17 | Winter WeatherDaggett County and Uintah County · forecast zone Eastern Uinta Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | Heavy SnowGrand County and San Juan County · forecast zone La Sal & Abajo Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | Winter WeatherDaggett County and Uintah County · forecast zone Eastern Uinta Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-31 | Heavy SnowGrand County and San Juan County · forecast zone La Sal & Abajo Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-31 | Winter WeatherDaggett County and Uintah County · forecast zone Eastern Uinta Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-06 | Winter WeatherGrand County and San Juan County · forecast zone La Sal & Abajo Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-05 | Winter WeatherDaggett County and Uintah County · forecast zone Eastern Uinta Mountains | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-20 | Winter WeatherSan Juan County · forecast zone Canyonlands / Natural Bridges | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-20 | Winter WeatherGrand County · forecast zone Grand Flat And Arches | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-20 | Winter WeatherGrand County and Uintah County · forecast zone Tavaputs Plateau | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-19 | Winter StormGrand County and San Juan County · forecast zone La Sal & Abajo Mountains | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for winter storm records in Utah
FEMA has declared 3 disasters in Utah for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 3 were major disasters, the latest on April 21, 2017.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-04-21 | DR-4311 | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding | 2 |
| 2011-02-11 | DR-1955 | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | 3 |
| 1986-03-13 | DR-760 | Heavy Rains, Snowmelt & Flooding | 4 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Davis County: the county's whole recordThe Utah county with the most winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in UtahTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Utah2,483 records
- Floods in Utah1,399 records
- High wind and dust storms in Utah1,200 records