Thunderstorm Wind in Grand County, Utah

A thunderstorm that formed over the higher terrain south and west of Canyonlands Airport in eastern Utah eventually drifted over the adjacent lower terrain. As it did so, it produced two wind gusts to 58 mph, in addition to wind gusts of lower values. These gusts were recorded at KCNY ASOS at Canyonlands Airport, 16 miles northwest of Moab. No reports of damages or injuries were received.

In the days prior to August 17th, a dome of high pressure had been in control of eastern Utah and western Colorado, with a plume of monsoonal moisture well to the west in the Central Great Basin. As a strong Pacific trough moved in the Pacific Northwest, the entire system of high pressure and monsoonal plume were nudged eastward, pushing the plume into eastern Utah. Surface layers remained dry, as it often takes several days of monsoonal moisture to saturate the atmosphere. This setup favors strong to severe winds with any shower or thunderstorm that forms.