Maximum Snow Loads along the Western Slopes of the Wasatch Mountains of Utah

Abstract

For the Salt Lake Valley and adjacent western slopes of the Wasatch Mountains 25-, 50-, and 100-year snow loads were determined, using the theory of extreme probability. Maximum seasonal snow depths were used to estimate the maximum water equivalent at stations where the latter was not measured. Snow loads, in turn, were computed from maximum water equivalents. A high correlation between elevation and maximum snow load was found.