In 1948, Utah Plunged Into An Arctic Freeze That Makes This Year's Winter Look Downright Mild

It started early in January with a blizzard that lasted three days. The howling winds damaged roofs and blew snowdrifts into 6 to 10 feet high piles. As if the snow wasn't bad enough, freezing temperatures followed. The effects of the blizzard were felt statewide. In Salt Lake City, road crews couldn't clear the frozen snowbanks. In rural parts of the state, livestock died from cold and inaccessibility to food.

More blizzards followed, one after another, until April. Freezing temperatures of up to -45 degrees made it impossible to dig out in between blizzards.

Not only was snow removal impossible, but cities struggled to maintain power. Schools all over Utah closed because they couldn't maintain heat in the buildings.

While their parents worried about the ten feet of snow in front of their homes, the kids had a heyday on their sleds. Communities rallied together, helping each other where they could. The Utah National Guard dropped hundreds of tons of hay from low-flying planes to deliver food to starving animals.

Utahns who lived through that winter remember a long, cold season when roads went months between plowings. Garbage pickup and mail service was inconsistent, and weather-related accidents all over the state cause injuries and deaths.

The winter of 1947-48 was the worst in Utah's history when you combine both snow accumulation and temperatures. The snowiest winter on record was 1992-32, and the coldest on record was 1963-64.