Strong Wind — Salt Lake Valley, Utah

2024-05-07 · Salt Lake Valley, Utah

Event narrative

Broadcast media disseminated a picture of a large tree toppled and on a car near the Cotton Bottom Restaurant near the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Highest winds and gusts throughout the Salt Lake Valley occurred approximately between 1:00 pm MST and 4:00 pm MST, with many observations of gusts in the 30 mph to 45 mph range. Given very wet soils and trees beginning to gain foliage, the damage was associated with an estimated wind gust of 45 mph, though locally higher gusts may have been possible.

Wider weather episode

A cold season type of trough and associated surface features moved through Utah in early May. Ahead of the system, strong synoptic wind gusts occurred throughout portions of the state. While wind gusts decreased following a cold frontal passage, precipitation increased. Periods of post-frontal precipitation then continued in the unsettled northwesterly flow as the trough shifted through the region. Given anomalously cold air associated with the trough, some area mountains received Winter Storm levels of snow, and sub-warning snow amounts were even observed in some lower elevation valley locations. Following the systems departure, a fatal avalanche occurred involving multiple backcountry skiers.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1182538. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.