Salt Lakers may perceive the 1994-95 snow season as pretty tame, but don't say that to those who measure snow at Alta. It was a record breaker!
A record amount of snow - 745.4 inches - fell at the Department of Transportation guard station at Alta between Nov. 1 and April 30.The amount surpassed the previous record of 743.5 inches for the same period during the winter of 1983-1984. The normal amount is 489 inches at Alta, where records have been kept since the mid-1940s, said William J. Alder, meteorologist at the Salt Lake office of the National Weather Service.
Snowbird, at a lower elevation in Little Cottonwood Canyon, had the sixth snowiest season - 547 inches. The normal amount of snow at Snowbird is 465 inches. Records have been kept there since the early 1970s.
Salt Lake International Airport recorded 85.2 inches of snow, compared with the normal 58.6 inches of snow. A lot of the snow, however, came early and late in the season. Record-breaking warm temperatures were recorded in February.
Brian Head ski resort in Iron County received a record 534 inches of snow. The resort was open for 179 days this skiing season. That was also a record for the 30-year history of the resort, which closed for skiing on Monday, said Stephen Lane, communications coordinator.
Alta was closed for skiing on Sunday, April 23. The Snowbird tram will be open through Sunday, May 7, and again during the Memorial Day weekend. Lifts at Gad I and Little Cloud will operate from Monday, May 8, through Sunday, May 14. The resort will be open for skiing every weekend through May.