High Wind — Great Salt Lake Desert and Mountains, Utah

2015-04-14 · Great Salt Lake Desert and Mountains, Utah

Event narrative

The winds were strongest across Utah's northwest desert, with maximum wind gusts of 82 mph at both Lakeside Mountain and English Village, 81 mph at the Interstate 80 at Milepost 1 sensor, 75 mph at Badger Island, 74 mph at Upper Cedar Mountain, 72 mph at the Wendover Point of Entry, and many observations in the 55-70 mph range. The largest impact was along Interstate 80 near Delle, where low visibility in blowing dust was a major factor in a large pilup crash. A semitruck slowed down when experiencing reduced visibilities, but this caused several passenger vehicles to collide with the back of the truck. After the chain reaction was finished, a total of 6 semitrucks and 11 passenger vehicles were involved in the accident, resulting in 25 injuries, including 18 hospitalizations. There was also one fatality in the crash, a 65-year-old male. The interstate was closed for 6 hours from Milepost 1 to Milepost 99 due to this accident. In separate incidents, several other semitrailers were also knocked over along Interstate 80 due to the strong crosswinds.

Wider weather episode

A strong and windy storm system moved through Utah beginning April 14, and the winds caused widespread damage across the state. This damage included a fatal pileup accident on Interstate 80 and a destructive wildfire in central Utah that was fueled by the winds. In addition, the storm brought heavy snowfall to both the mountains and valleys of northern Utah.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 573978. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.