High Wind in Eastern Uinta Basin, Utah

The Utah Department of Transportation road mesonet sensor US-40 MP 140 Asphalt Ridge recorded a peak wind gust to 63 mph at 3:30 PM MDT on the 13th. The KVEL ASOS in Vernal recorded a peak gust to 51 mph, while other recorded wind gust across the zone fell into the 45-63 mph range. No reports of injuries, damages, or fatalities were received.

A strong low pressure system moving into the Pacific Northwest led to the upper level pressure gradient to begin tightening over the eastern Great Basin, leading to increasing winds aloft. At the same time, high pressure still in place over eastern Utah and western Colorado helped promote deep daytime mixing that allowed those strong upper level winds to mix down to the surface. This resulted in widespread wind gusts of 40-50 mph, with gusts upwards of 60 mph in some locations.