Understanding Utah's Lake Effect Snow Phenomenon

Level Up Your Ski Day — Download SnowStash on the App Store

Have you ever seen all those powder videos on Youtube coming out of Utah and wondered, why do they get so much snow?Well it’s a special combination of magical ingredients which come together a few times each season and when they do the Utah mountains and ski resorts become the actual global definition of a powder paradise. The locals of Utah say that they have the Greatest Snow On Earth and we tend to agree, even their number plates say it. Salt Lake City is surrounded by the famed Wasatch Mountains range which is also home to some powerhouse ski resorts like Alta, Snowbird, Park City and Deer Valley as well as some of the smaller resorts such as Brighton, Solitude, Snowbasin, Powder Mountain and Sundance Mountain Resort. The positioning of the mountain range which sits just above the large salt lakes means that when the storms roll across the plains the cold air goes over the warm lake which supercharges the snow capability of the storm.As the storm continues it smacks into the Wasatch mountains and with an elevation change of over 2,100m (7,000ft) this means the storms have no other option but to sit and just crack on that snow machine. In the past Snowbird and Alta have seen over 100” (250cm) in 100 hours which explains why sometimes these ski resorts get shut down for the simple fact of too much snow.Whilst these storms are incredible feats of nature they do come with associated risk and anyone venturing into either Big Cottonwood Canyon or Little Cottonwood Canyon during the winter months should always be aware of avalanche danger and stay within the resort boundaries. Check out this video below from Ski Utah where they explain how it all comes together, and if you don’t like the science of it all then feel free to drool over the incredible powder shots. Lake Effect - /lāk/ /əˈfekt/ - when all of Utah's magical ingredients come together to create mind-numbing powder snow face shots of highly memorable quality and bountiful quantity. A phenomenon cherished by skiers and snowboarders across the globe and a contributing factor to Utah's legitimate claim to "The Greatest Snow on Earth." A deep powder snowstorm. A meteorological phenomenon cherished by snow sport lovers and mountain enthusiasts. There are many misconceptions swirling around about the mechanism and role of Utah's lake effect storms in the creation of our legendary powder snow. We'll summarize the lake effect phenomenon for you utilizing the expertise of famed University of Utah meteorologist and 'Professor Powder,' Jim Steenburgh. Steenburg is the author of an excellent book titled 'Secrets of The Greatest Snow on Earth.'Utah is home to some of the best ski resorts in North America and this map below (credit to James Niehues) you can see how close they all are to Salt Lake City. Using the map below storms would roll in from the right hand side coming across the great salt lakes and as soon as they hit those massive peaks that when the snow machine gets cranked on and up to 1000.