Storms dumped lots of snow in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — A series of moist Pacific storms piled Utah with snow over the weekend, with some mountain locations receiving more than 4 feet of new powder.

Brighton Crest in the Wasatch Mountains (elevation 9,500 feet) received 54 inches of new snow since Friday night.

Alta received 42 inches, Solitude 39 and Provo Canyon 37 inches.

The avalanche risk remains high, with heavy snow resting on icy, fragile layers of much drier snowfall.

Liberty in Ogden Valley was blanketed with 26 inches of snow, while Park City had 12.2 inches.

North Ogden received 12.5 inches of snow, but Bountiful only received three inches and Sandy 1.5 inches. Alpine had seven inches and Spanish Fork 4 inches.

The water content from the latest storms is substantial. For example, the 9.8 inches the Ogden bench received translates to 1.96 inches of water, or about 20 percent water per inch of snow.

Notwithstanding this moisture, the Salt Lake City International Airport is still 1.29 inches of water below its normal value for the date, with 2.20 inches of moisture received. The normal amount is 3.49 inches from an Oct. 1 to Dec. 14 period.

Snow showers tapered off on Monday, but skies remained mostly cloudy. Monday's overnight low was expected to dip to 25 degrees after a daytime high in the upper 30s.

The Salt Lake office of the National Weather Service predicts a 20 percent chance of more snow today, Wednesday and Thursday nights.

There's also a slight chance of snow or rain Thursday during the day.

Friday and Saturday should be the next mostly sunny days, when temperatures should also remain in the upper 30s. Normal daytime high temperatures for this time of year are in the mid to upper 30s.

Air quality is expected to remain in the moderate range for the next few days.

e-mail: lynn@desnews.com