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Alta Ski Area now has a new benchmark upon which to judge all ski seasons to come. On April 24, just one day after it closed for the season, the Utah resort hit 900 inches for the first time in its history. It had already soared past its old snowfall record of 748 inches in late March, and is now sitting at 901 after the last storm dropped another six inches over the weekend.
Even though it’s closed, Alta plans to measure snowfall through the end of April.
Nearby ski areas, including Snowbird, Brighton, and Solitude, aren’t far behind. Brighton, with 878 inches to date, is the next most likely to join the 900 Club, although the resort closes this weekend. Snowbird, with 828 inches, will stay open until the end of May.
Utah has had a record-breaking season in other weather-related ways. The state exceeded its snowplow and snow removal budget of $24 million and then broke its record in Snow Water Equivalent, which is the amount of water there would be if the entire snowpack melted. The previous record, held for over 40 years, was 26 inches. The new record is 30 inches.
As a result of all of these broken records, many parts of Utah are no longer considered in drought, which is unusual for the state. In fact, this is the first time in three years that Salt Lake City has not been under a drought designation, which is especially a relief heading into late spring and summer.