Utah ski resort reports whopping 75 feet of snow that breaks season records

Alta Ski Area in Utah tops 900 inches of snow

With 7 inches of new snow in the last 24 hours, Alta Ski Area in Utah is now in the 900-inch club. 

ALTA, Utah – A popular ski area outside of Salt Lake City continues to add to a record-breaking snowfall season, with the latest spring storm system helping the accumulation tally reach at least 901 inches of snow for 2022-23.

Alta Ski Area usually averages about 403 inches in a season, but a historic atmospheric river pattern across the West helped funnel in copious amounts of moisture, leading to problems from California through the lands that are known for their terrain.

While lower elevations dealt with the repercussions of flooding, snow at altitude was every skier’s dream, finishing what was a banner year for Alta's 85th winter sports season.

Alta Ski Area Snowiest Winters

(FOX Weather)

"We’ve never had a season like it," said Andria Huskinson, Communications Manager for Alta Ski Area. "It was a historic season that we’ll be talking about for years."

Winter weather enthusiasts were not able to take advantage of the slopes at the independently-owned ski area during the most recent storm because the site officially closed on Sunday and will not reopen until November.

The historic season tops the second-snowiest year by more than 150 inches and is more than double the yearly average.

WHAT CALIFORNIA’S EXCESSIVE SNOW, RAIN MEAN FOR STATE’S RESERVOIRS

"We are humbled by the entire Alta employee team who have weathered two winters, wrapped into one," a post on Alta's social media read. "There have been two constants this winter: endless snow and the endless grit, determination and humility displayed by our crew."

Observations at the mountain site are expected to wrap up over the next week, meaning if additional snow falls, it will not be added to the record-breaking season.

Huskinson said she has seen flakes on Alta as late as June, but during the summer, amounts are light and go unrecorded.

THERE ARE MIXED SIGNALS FOR UTAH’S WATER FUTURE AFTER HISTORIC SNOWFALL

The record snowfall was observed by a site that is not operated by the National Weather Service, so the accumulation total is considered to be unofficial.

The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City said several reporting sites throughout the state saw a wet season, but because precipitation was produced during warm atmospheric river events, snow levels remained rather high.

The melting of the deep snowpack is expected to help recharge waterways such as the Great Salt Lake, but experts at Brigham Young University warn it could take years and several seasons of increased precipitation to recover from the megadrought that has plagued the west for decades.