A fast-moving cold front swept through Utah on March 26th, initiating showers and strong, gusty winds. These winds were widespread across northern Utah on the morning of the 26th, and even caused damage in the Salt Lake Valley.
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.
A fast-moving cold front swept through Utah on March 26th, initiating showers and strong, gusty winds. These winds were widespread across northern Utah on the morning of the 26th, and even caused damage in the Salt Lake Valley.
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 Mar 26, 2:37 AM MST, 2 hours 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT 337 AM MDT MON MAR 26 2012 .SYNOPSIS...A PACIFIC STORM WILL QUICKLY MOVE THROUGH THE AREA TODAY. WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY BEFORE A WEAK STORM SYSTEM IMPACTS THE AREA ON THURSDAY. && .DISCUSSION...THE STORM SYSTEM CURRENTLY CENTERED OVER SOUTHERN NEVADA WILL MAKE ITS WAY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA TODAY. VALLEY RAIN/MOUNTAIN SNOW HAS ALREADY DEVELOPED OVER SOUTHWEST UTAH...AND PRECIPITATION WILL SPREAD OVER PRIMARILY NORTHERN AND CENTRAL UTAH AS IT TRACKS RAPIDLY NORTHEASTWARD. AS THE SYSTEM EXITS LATE THIS AFTERNOON...700 MB TEMPS WILL HAVE DROPPED FROM AROUND +4C TO -8C...BRINGING A TEMPORARY END TO THE UNSEASONABLY WARM WEATHER ACROSS THE STATE. BECAUSE OF THE QUICK-HITTING NATURE OF THIS SYSTEM...ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL BE LIMITED. NORTHERN UTAH MOUNTAINS SHOULD SEE THE BEST TOTALS...BUT EVEN THESE WILL REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA. SNOW LEVELS WILL EVENTUALLY REACH LEVELS TO OR NEAR NORTHERN UTAH VALLEY FLOORS...BUT GIVEN THE RATHER WARM GROUND TEMPERATURES ANY VALLEY ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD BE LIGHT AT BEST. WINDS ARE GUSTING INTO THE 20S AND 30S THIS MORNING ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA...AND WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN TODAY AS THE SYSTEM PASSES LATE THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. EAST/SOUTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE ARE PROGGED TO SEE THE BEST FLOW ALOFT AS THE SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH...AND ISOLATED LOCATIONS THERE COULD SEE BRIEF ADVISORY LEVEL WINDS...BUT DO NOT THINK THE DURATION WILL BE LONG ENOUGH TO WARRANT ANY HEADLINES. GLOBAL MODELS INDICATE RIDGING WILL BUILD BACK IN TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY BEHIND THE EXITING SYSTEM...ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO REBOUND. RESIDUAL MOISTURE COULD KEEP SOME CLOUDINESS OVER NORTHERN UTAH ON TUESDAY. ANOTHER TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE AREA ON THURSDAY...BUT LOOKS TO BE BOTH WEAK AND SPLITTING. EC/GFS BOTH SHOW IT BRINGING A FRONTAL BOUNDARY THROUGH...CURBING WARMING A BIT ONCE AGAIN. 00Z GFS INDICATES A MUCH STRONGER SYSTEM WILL MAKE ITS WAY THROUGH THE AREA OVER THE WEEKEND...BRINGING A RATHER POTENT COLD FRONT WITH IT. LATEST EC BRINGS THE FRONT AT LEAST THROUGH NORTHERN UTAH...BUT INDICATES THE MAIN TROUGH WILL STAY MOSTLY NORTH OF THE AREA. HAVE KEPT POPS NEAR OR ABOVE CLIMO IN THE EXTENDED TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS...BUT HAVE LITTLE CONFIDENCE IN EITHER SOLUTION THAT FAR OUT. && .AVIATION...SOUTH WINDS WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS WITH GUSTS LIKELY TO EXCEED 30 MPH BY AROUND 13Z AND CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THERE IS A 30 PERCENT CHANCE THAT THESE STRONG WINDS COULD OCCUR AS EARLY AS 11Z. CEILINGS WILL LOWER RAPIDLY LATE THIS MORNING AROUND 14Z AS THE COLD FRONT SWEEPS IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST. THERE IS 30 PERCENT CHANCE THAT IFR CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR IN SNOW FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. && .SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UT...NONE. WY...NONE. && PUBLIC...TRAPHAGAN AVIATION...CHENG 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 445 AM MDT MON MAR 26 2012 UTZ001>016-019>021-517-518-WYZ021-271045- 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- 445 AM MDT MON MAR 26 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WESTERN TWO THIRDS OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL MAKE ITS WAY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA TODAY...BRINGING MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES...GUSTY WINDS...AND ACCUMULATING SNOW FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL UTAH. SNOW LEVELS WILL DECREASE DURING THE MORNING...APPROACHING NORTHERN UTAH VALLEY FLOORS BY THE AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...LITTLE OR NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED DUE TO WARM GROUND TEMPERATURES. PRECIPITATION WILL TAPER OFF DURING THE AFTERNOON AS THE SYSTEM EXITS THE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A MILD SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL TO RETURN TO THE OUTLOOK AREA FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY BEFORE A WEAK STORM SYSTEM IMPACTS THE AREA ON THURSDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL REDEVELOP FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A STORM SYSTEM TO IMPACT THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY (ALL LOWER CASE) FOR INFORMATION ON POTENTIAL TRAVEL IMPACTS VISIT... HTTP://WWW.COMMUTERLINK.UTAH.GOV/ROADWEATHERFORECAST.ASPX
7 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Maximum wind gusts across the Great Salt Lake Desert included 63 mph at Camel Back Mountain, 61 mph at each of Granite Peak, Hat Island, Durand Road, and Gunnison Island, as well as 59 mph at the Salt Flats sensor.
The US-6 at Eureka sensor recorded a maximum wind gust of 63 mph, and the Pioneer Crossing sensor near Lehi recorded a peak gust of 62 mph.
Peak wind gusts across the Salt Lake and Tooele Valleys included 75 mph at Flight Park South, 69 mph at Vernon Hill and the Great Salt Lake Marina, 63 mph at Bluffdale, 59 mph at Riverton, and 58 mph at Olympus Cove. These winds caused damage at a shopping center in Draper, blowing out two large windows. In addition, a semitrailer was blown over by the strong winds near Point of the Mountain.
The Sundance Arrowhead sensor recorded a maximum wind gust of 84 mph.
The Heber City Municipal Airport - Russ McDonald Field AWOS recorded a maximum wind gust of 61 mph.
The Snowbasin-Straw Top sensor recorded a maximum wind gust of 78 mph.
The Price ASOS recorded a maximum wind gust of 59 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, March 2012
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: 372213, 372215, 372210, 372223, 372224, 372225, 372226.