A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
Most of us dream of a white Christmas, but in Utah and the West, Mother Nature does not always deliver.
In fact, weather services have suggested that northern Utah usually enjoys a white Christmas about 60%-65% of the time since 1940, when such numbers were consistently tracked.
Stories in the Deseret News talk of unusually cold and wet years in the late 1800s around Salt Lake City, as well as some years where planting began much earlier than ideal.
This year, prognosticators say a small storm moving through Utah on Tuesday and Wednesday could bring snow mixed with rain. A white Christmas is generally defined as an inch of snow on the ground.
Recently, The Washington Post compiled available data for a fun interactive story — “Snow for the Holidays” — on its website.
Per accounts, the greatest snow depth in Utah was 14 inches on Christmas 1932. Christmas 1943 also reported a significant snowstorm on Dec. 24-25.
Thirteen inches was recorded on the ground at the airport by the end of Christmas Day 1983.
In recent years, the Salt Lake record for the most snow for any December day had been 12.5 inches, on Dec. 28, 1972. The standing record for the most snow for a 24-hour period in December was 18.1 inches on Dec. 28 and 29, 1972, according to Utah meteorologists. The most snowfall for any 24-hour period was 18.4 inches on Oct. 17-18, 1984.
Tom Smith uses his snowblower to clear his neighbor’s driveway on Evergreen Avenue in Salt Lake City on Dec. 26, 2003, as the snow kept falling through Christmas Day and beyond. | Ravell Call, Deseret Morning News
Then came Christmas 2003.
In 2003, beginning on Christmas day, a three-day storm clobbered northern Utah, depositing heavy, wet snow. Trees and power lines collapsed under the weight of the snow, leaving more than 70,000 people without power.
Emergency shelters were opened in Salt Lake City and Ogden. More than 15,000 traffic accidents were reported during the three-day period. On Dec. 26, a large avalanche released near Aspen Grove, claiming the lives of three people.
Carlo Cavallari, 5, braces for falling snow thrown by his dad, Carl, at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016. | Nick Wagner, Deseret News
Here are stories from Deseret News archives about snowy Christmases past in the Beehive State:
“Heavy snow breaks records as it snarls roads, business”
“Dreams of White Christmas in S.L. have come true only 60% of the time”
“Pioneer diaries note whiteness of Christmases past”
“Snow for the holidays” (The Washington Post, paywall)
“The 10 worst snowstorms in Northeast US in last 60 years”
“Utahns hold their breath as snowflakes appear in next week’s forecast”
“Perspective: The future in which we can no longer dream of a white Christmas”
The front page of the Deseret News on Dec. 26, 1983, after a significant snowstorm delivered a white Christmas in Utah and the Rocky Mountains.