Showers and thunderstorms formed across northern Utah on May 13th, with the greatest impact being that these storms helped to fuel river flooding that had already begun due to snowmelt. However, one of these storms also produced a severe wind gust along Interstate 80.
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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.
The episode as NWS SLC wrote it up.
Showers and thunderstorms formed across northern Utah on May 13th, with the greatest impact being that these storms helped to fuel river flooding that had already begun due to snowmelt. However, one of these storms also produced a severe wind gust along Interstate 80.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Salt Lake City, UT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 13, 2:53 PM MST, 2 hours 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT 353 PM MDT FRI MAY 13 2011 .SYNOPSIS...A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE OVERHEAD SATURDAY BUT WILL BE SHOVED EASTWARD BY AN APPROACHING STORM SYSTEM BY SUNDAY. THIS PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE AREA FROM MONDAY UNTIL THURSDAY. && .DISCUSSION...ISOLATED CONVECTION IS FIRING UP OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST UTAH THIS AFTERNOON MUCH AS FORECASTED. THE GENERAL FLOW ACROSS THIS PART OF THE STATE IS FROM THE SOUTHEAST SO THE STORMS ARE MOVING TOWARDS THE NORTHWEST INTO NEVADA. BY THIS EVENING THIS FLOW OVER NORTHWEST UTAH IS EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE SOUTHERLY TO POSSIBLY SOUTHWEST...BRINGING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF HIGH BASED THUNDERSTORMS TO THE NORTHWEST DESERT...ESPECIALLY THE RAFT RIVER RANGE. FARTHER SOUTH OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA A WEAK UPPER LEVEL CIRCULATION IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO NORTHWEST ARIZONA BY SATURDAY MORNING TO BRING SOME UPPER LEVEL DIFFLUENCE AND COOLING OF A COUPLE OF DEGREES ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA SATURDAY. THIS IN COMBINATION WITH THE INCREASE IN MOISTURE FROM TODAYS CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO BRING AN INCREASE THREAT OF CONVECTION FOR SATURDAY...ESPECIALLY ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTHERN UTAH AS THIS UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM MOVES NORTHWARD. THE NAM SHOWS CAPE OF OVER 600 AND LI OF -2 TO -4 FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...THE LOW LEVELS REMAIN RATHER DRY SO MUCH OF THE CONVECTION COULD BE MORE WHAT WE CALL VIRGA BOMBS RATHER THAN SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING RAIN DOWN TO THE GROUND. THEREFORE THE POPS WERE ACTUALLY DECREASED SOMEWHAT FOR SATURDAY DESPITE REASONABLE LOOKING DYNAMICS. THE PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM IS NOT VERY CIRCULAR IN NATURE BUT RATHER IS FORECAST TO HAVE SEVERAL WELL DEFINED SPOKES EACH OF WHICH WILL ROTATE ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN HELPING TO BRING THE SYSTEM ACROSS UTAH. THE FIRST SPOKE WILL BRING A DRY COLD FRONT IN ACROSS NORTHERN UTAH SUNDAY EVENING WITH THE SECOND SPOKE OF ENERGY PUSHING THE MID LEVEL COLD POOL AND ASSOCIATED MOISTURE IN ACROSS THE NORTH ON MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THIS WILL LIKELY BE THE BEST CHANCE FOR RAIN IN THE VALLEYS AND SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS. HOWEVER WITH THE BROAD UPPER COLD CORE OF THE SYSTEM MOVING IN OVER THE CWA WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SCATTERED CONVECTION IS LIKELY TO OCCUR. THROUGHOUT THE MONDAY TO THURSDAY TIME FRAME THE TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION WILL TEND TO BE 5 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL STATEWIDE WHICH WILL SLOW THE SNOWMELT DOWN ONCE AGAIN. SOME RIDGING IS EXPECTED TO RETURN FOR NEXT WEEKEND WITH A SLOW WARMING TREND ASSOCIATED WITH IT. && .HYDROLOGY...ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND SUNSHINE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO INCREASING MID AND HIGH ELEVATION SNOW MELT. RIVERS ARE FORECAST TO RESPOND BY RISING THROUGH THE WEEKEND TOWARD AND ABOVE FLOOD STAGE ON SOME RIVERS. THE BLACKSMITH FORK EXCEEDED FLOOD STAGE JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT LAST NIGHT AND THEN BACKED OFF TEMPORARILY THIS MORNING BUT WILL BE ON THE RISE AGAIN TONIGHT AND REMAIN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE THROUGH SUNDAY AND MONDAY. OTHER GAUGED RIVERS ARE ALL BELOW FLOOD STAGE BUT WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE TOWARD BANKFULL OR ABOVE FLOOD STAGE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. COOLER CONDITIONS OF 5-15 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE ARE EXPECTED NEXT WEEK...THOUGH SHOWERS...MAINLY TUESDAY MORNING...WILL CONTRIBUTE TO RUN OFF THROUGH MID WEEK. && .AVIATION...SURFACE WINDS AT THE SLC TERMINAL WILL SWITCH TO THE SOUTHEAST BETWEEN 02Z AND 04Z. OTHERWISE...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH ANY CEILINGS ABOVE 7000FT. && .FIRE WEATHER...HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT CENTERED OVER WRN COLORADO TONIGHT WILL GENERATE AN INCREASINGLY STRONG AND WARM SOUTHERLY FLOW ACROSS THE AREA THIS WEEKEND. HUMIDITY VALUES WILL TREND SLOWLY DOWNWARD FROM FRIDAY TO SATURDAY...THEN HIT THEIR LOWEST LEVELS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT REACHING NORTHWEST UTAH SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THIS FRONT WILL STALL OVER EAST-CNTRL THROUGH SOUTH-CNTRL UTAH MONDAY...MAINTAINING WARM...WINDY AND VERY DRY CONDITIONS AHEAD OF THE STALLED FRONT. THE COMBINATION OF WIND AND RH VALUES GENERALLY BELOW 15 PERCENT WOULD MEET RED FLAG CONDITIONS...HOWEVER FUELS IN GENERAL ARE NOT CURED ENOUGH YET TO WARRANT CONCERN AT THIS TIME. SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER TEMPS WITH HIGHER RH VALUES WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK. PRECIP WILL REMAIN ON THE LIGHT SIDE UNTIL A STRONGER/COLDER UPPER LOW SETTLES INTO THE GREAT BASIN DURING THE WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY TIME FRAME. THIS FEATURE WILL KEEP TEMPS WELL BELOW NORMAL AND RH VALUES FAIRLY HIGH. PRECIP WILL ALSO BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD...WITH THE BEST THREAT FOR WETTING RAINS ACROSS ALL BUT THE FAR SE AND ERN VALLEYS. && .SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UT...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR UTZ001-002-006-007-009. WY...NONE. && PUBLIC...STRUTHWOLF FIRE WEATHER...CONGER AVIATION...SCHOENING HYDROLOGY...STRUTHWOLF FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY (ALL LOWER CASE) FOR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION VISIT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY/GENERAL/AFD_FAQS.PHP (ALL LOWER CASE)
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT 245 AM MDT FRI MAY 13 2011 UTZ001>016-019>021-517-518-WYZ021-141300- CACHE VALLEY/UTAH PORTION-NORTHERN WASATCH FRONT- SALT LAKE AND TOOELE VALLEYS-SOUTHERN WASATCH FRONT- GREAT SALT LAKE DESERT AND MOUNTAINS-WASATCH MOUNTAIN VALLEYS- WASATCH MOUNTAINS I-80 NORTH-WASATCH MOUNTAINS SOUTH OF I-80- WESTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS-WASATCH PLATEAU/BOOK CLIFFS- WESTERN UINTA BASIN-CASTLE COUNTRY-SAN RAFAEL SWELL- SANPETE/SEVIER VALLEYS-WEST CENTRAL UTAH-SOUTHWEST UTAH- UTAHS DIXIE AND ZION NATIONAL PARK-SOUTH CENTRAL UTAH- GLEN CANYON RECREATION AREA/LAKE POWELL-CENTRAL MOUNTAINS- SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS-SOUTHWEST WYOMING- 245 AM MDT FRI MAY 13 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WESTERN TWO THIRDS OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SUNNY AND WARMER CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST TODAY...WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN UTAH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. RIVER FLOWS REMAIN COLD AND ELEVATED...WITH FLOODING OCCURRING ON THE BLACKSMITH FORK. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY WARM CONDITIONS CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. SNOWMELT WILL INCREASE...WITH RUNOFF RESULTING IN RISING WATERS ON AREA RIVERS ONCE AGAIN. SOME RIVERS WILL POTENTIALLY REACH FLOOD STAGE BY THE WEEKEND. CONSULT THE FLOOD WATCH FOR FURTHER DETAILS. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION SATURDAY...POTENTIALLY LINGERING ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF NORTHERN UTAH SUNDAY. GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE ANTICIPATED SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...POTENTIALLY INCREASING FIRE WEATHER DANGER AND AFFECTING WIND SENSITIVE OPERATIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. ROGOWSKI FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY (ALL LOWER CASE)
The Salt Lake City radar (KMTX), 104 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:16 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Interstate 80 sensor in the Dugway Proving Ground mesonet recorded a maximum wind gust of 60 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, May 2011
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: 313354.