High Wind — Eastern Uinta Basin, Utah

2024-03-02 · Eastern Uinta Basin, Utah

Event narrative

The peak gust of 62 mph was recoded at the Vernal mesonet station EW3712 at 2:55 PM on the 2nd. Other gusts around the zone ranged from 45 mph to 60 mph over the course of the day.

Wider weather episode

A strong Pacific low pressure trough moved into the Pacific Northwest and dropped south through the Great Basin in the days leading up to March 1st. At the base of this trough, a 160 knot jet aloft tracked overhead of eastern Utah and western Colorado beginning on the 1st, with daytime heating starting to mix down these much stronger southwest winds. Winds peaked during the late morning and afternoon hours on the 2nd as the pressure gradient through the atmosphere tightened up ahead of a strong cold front. Strongest winds were observed just prior to the cold front's passage, and led to numerous reports of power outages, downed trees, and even a few small brush fires.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1168940. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.