High Wind in Eastern Uinta Mountains, Utah

Gusts across the eastern Uinta Mountains ranged from 45 mph to the peak gust of 75 mph during the day on the 17th. The peak gust was recorded at the Utah Department of Highways mesonet site Sr-43 at Mp 0.5 West Stateline, close to the Wyoming border, west of the town of Manila.

As a closed low over the Pacific Northwest deepened in the hours leading up to this event, the pressure gradient around a quasi-stationary cold front over northeastern Utah began to strengthen. This led to strengthening southwest winds out ahead of the front over much of northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado during the day on the 17th. The strongest winds were expected over the eastern Uinta Mountains in northeast Colorado, decreasing as one moved south and east away from the stationary front and the mountains.