High Wind — Northern Wasatch Front, Utah

2011-12-01 · Northern Wasatch Front, Utah

Event narrative

A strong and destructive downslope windstorm impacted the northern Wasatch Front, with maximum recorded wind gusts of 102 mph in Centerville, 92 mph in West Bountiful, 86 mph in Farmington, and numerous other reports in the 60 to 80 mph range.

Damage from this windstorm was substantial and widespread, with the most extensive damage occurring between North Salt Lake and South Ogden. UDOT reported that 11 semitrailers were knocked over along I-15, which eventually led them to close the road to semis for several hours. In Fruit Heights, a steeple was blown off the roof of a church. Hundreds of trees, power lines, and light poles were knocked over, and some of these caused additional damage when they landed on houses, cars, and other property. The winds were strong enough to shatter windows in some locations, as well as bend or uproot many metal road signs. In the area of the strongest winds, almost all homes experienced damage to roofs, fences, and siding. Flying debris caused a few injuries, but there were no fatalities associated with the wind.

Monetary damage to infrastructure was calculated to be about $6.5 million, almost all of which occurred in Davis County. Private insured losses were a little over $75 million.

Wider weather episode

A deep closed low dug south into southern Utah and Nevada on November 30th and December 1st. Combined with high pressure centered over Wyoming, a strong pressure gradient developed across much of Utah. This created strong northeasterly canyon and downslope winds across several parts of the state. These winds caused damage across the Wasatch Front, with most of the damage occurring along the northern Wasatch Front. In addition to the winds, heavy snow fell in the mountains of central and southern Utah as the low moved through the area. Note that this episode began in November.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 358365. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.