High Wind — Tooele and Rush Valleys, Utah

2024-03-01 to 2024-03-03 · Tooele and Rush Valleys, Utah

Event narrative

The VERNON HILL mesonet site began observing sustained winds in excess of 40 mph beginning late in the evening 2/29 and continued on into the start of March. The VERNON HILL mesonet site also measured the first wind gust exceeding high wind criteria, with an initial high wind gust of 59 mph observed 3/1 at 1:30 am MST (a high wind gust was also noted late evening 2/29). This gust was concurrent with the I-80 at MP79 Timpie mesonet site measuring a wind gust of 60 mph 3/1 at 1:30 am MST. The VERNON HILL mesonet site also measured the last wind gust exceeding high wind criteria, with a final high wind gust of 63 mph observed 3/3 at 7:00 am MST. The SR-201 at I-80 mesonet site measured the zone's peak wind gust during the event, with a gust of 84 mph observed 3/2 at 8:20 am MST. Finally, some additional selected observed gusts at mesonet sites in the zone through the event time included 68 mph at Dolomite, 65 mph at SR-36 at MP 49 Stockton Bar, 62 mph at SR-112 at MP 6 Utah Avenue, and 61 mph at Grantsville South. Many sites recorded multiple wind gusts in excess of 58 mph throughout the event.

Wider weather episode

A strong system approached the region for the start of March, with very anomalously strong low level flow noted ahead of a cold frontal boundary. This strong low level flow resulted in a prolonged period of strong sustained and gusty winds across almost the entirety of Utah. As the cold front moved into northern Utah, some areas experienced convective precipitation and associated strong wind gusts. Winds began to subside following the passage of the cold front, but the colder air allowed for precipitation to transition to snow, yielding accumulating snow across much of the area. Mountain locations which remained sufficiently cold throughout the event received fairly substantial snow accumulations in addition to the prolonged strong winds.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1156997. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.