Utah, 1998

Tornado and Hail in Utah, September 12, 1998

September 12, 1998 · NWS SLC · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms occurred on this date in several spots across Utah. A cold core funnel cloud touched down for 5 seconds in a gentleman's backyard in Emigration Canyon.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$22,000
Crop damage
$4,000
Events
5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS SLC wrote it up.

Severe thunderstorms occurred on this date in several spots across Utah. A cold core funnel cloud touched down for 5 seconds in a gentleman's backyard in Emigration Canyon. 2 Waterspouts were observed later over the marshes of the Great Salt Lake near Syracuse. A severe thunderstorm moved through the Blanding area and put down a microburst wind gust of 70 mph (61kts) and 4" of pea-sized hail. A plane was damaged at the Blanding Municipal Airport. 3/4" diameter hail was also observed from severe thunderstorms in South Jordan and Provo.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 waterspout. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Utah

When
September 12, 1:25 PM MST to 1:30 PM MST
Where
Utah County, Provo
Measured
0.75 in hail
Crop damage
$800
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.250, -111.670

Hail, Salt Lake

When
September 12, 1:30 PM MST
Where
Salt Lake County, South Jordan
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
40.570, -111.930

Thunderstorm Wind, San Juan

When
September 12, 1:30 PM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
San Juan County, (4bl)blanding Muni A
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage
$20,000
Crop damage
$2,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.580, -109.480

Tornado, Salt Lake

When
September 12, 2:20 PM MST
Where
Salt Lake County, 10 mi E of Salt Lake City
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$2,000
Crop damage
$1,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
40.730, -111.680

Waterspout, Davis

When
September 12, 4:00 PM MST to 4:30 PM MST
Where
Davis County, 5 mi SW of Syracuse
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
40.991, -112.111 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Waterspout
A tornado over water. One that moves ashore is filed as a tornado from the coastline on.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Utah in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Utah, 1998Warnings in Utah, September 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5663984, 5663982, 5663983, 5663980, 5663981.