High Wind — Northern Wasatch Front, Utah

2016-04-30 · Northern Wasatch Front, Utah

Event narrative

Damage from the downslope wind storm was widespread across Davis and Weber Counties, as well as parts of Box Elder County, with the strongest observed winds occurring in Centerville and Farmington. Peak recorded wind gusts from the event included 91 mph at the US-89 at Park Lane sensor, 87 mph in Farmington, 81 mph in Centerville, 74 mph at the Brigham City Airport, 70 mph in South Ogden, and many other reports in the 55-70 mph range.

There was one wind-related fatality, when strong winds pushed a pickup truck onto the shoulder of Interstate 15, where it it had been traveling near Parrish Lane. The pickup crashed into the back of a semitruck, which had pulled over to the side of the road because of the winds. The driver of the pickup, a 61-year-old male, was transported to the hospital, where he passed away.

Hundreds of large trees were knocked over by the wind, including several that fell onto houses and cars. The wind damaged many fences and roofs, and countless personal items, such as lawn furniture and trampolines, were scattered across towns. In Honeyville, the wind overturned a 32-foot-long sheep shearing trailer, killing 11 sheep. The wind caused damage to power lines and power poles, with over 39,000 customers impacted by power outages. Three semitrucks were toppled along Interstate 15 near Corinne, and portions of the Interstate were prohibited for high profile vehicles during the event. In Centerville alone, an estimated $500,000 of damage was done to private property, with an additional $20,000 of damage to city property. About 20% of the single family dwellings in Centerville (about 1000 homes) received at least minor damage. In Ogden, the culinary water system went off-line for an extended period of time, and the city was operating on reserve storage. The biggest problem for multiple cities was debris removal, with cities, individuals, and green waste sites working around the clock to remove and process all of the downed trees. Note that this event continued into May.

Wider weather episode

A strong downslope windstorm began on the afternoon of April 30, and then peaked during the early morning hours of May 1, causing significant damage in Davis and Weber counties. Note that this episode continued into May.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 632311. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.