The threat of severe thunderstorms returned for a couple of days in the middle of the month, with both strong, gusty winds and large hail being reported across Utah. In addition, lightning caused multiple fires in northern Utah.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The threat of severe thunderstorms returned for a couple of days in the middle of the month, with both strong, gusty winds and large hail being reported across Utah. In addition, lightning caused multiple fires in northern Utah.
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 Jul 15, 3:01 PM MST, 4 hours 43 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT 401 PM MDT MON JUL 15 2013 .SYNOPSIS...A WARM AND MOIST AIR MASS WILL REMAIN OVER THE EASTERN GREAT BASIN THROUGH MIDWEEK. AS THE RIDGE MOVES OVER NEVADA...A DRIER NORTHERLY FLOW WILL FILTER INTO NORTHERN UTAH THURSDAY AND INTO CENTRAL UTAH FRIDAY. MOISTURE WILL LIKELY REMAIN ACROSS THE SOUTH. && .DISCUSSION...MOIST AIR MASS IN PLACE ALLOWING FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE NORTH AND SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST. THIS AREA ACROSS SOUTHWEST UTAH APPEARS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH A WEAK DISTURBANCE SEEN IN WATER VAPOR NEAR THE SOUTHERN TIP OF NEVADA MOVING NORTHEASTWARD. THIS FEATURE IS EXPECTED TO REACH CENTRAL UTAH BY MIDNIGHT BUT WILL BE WEAKENING AS IT DOES SO. HAVE KEPT POPS IN FOR THIS EVENING AS FAR NORTH AS UTAH COUNTY BUT CENTRAL AND NORTHERN WASATCH FRONT SHOULD REMAIN RATHER STABLE DUE TO THE GREAT SALT LAKE INFLUENCE AND MODEL GUIDANCE SHOWING LIFTED INDICES BEING A MINIMA OVER THIS PORTION OF THE STATE FOR THIS EVENING. THE NAM AND GFS SHOW THE FLOW ALOFT INCREASING FROM THE SOUTH TUESDAY IMPORTING AN EVEN MORE MOIST AIR MASS ACROSS THE STATE. HAVE GONE WITH SCATTERED CONVECTION ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA FOR TUESDAY...ALTHOUGH THE CONVECTION WILL INITIATE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN ONCE AGAIN...THERE WILL BE A GREATER PROBABILITY OF THAT ACTIVITY MOVING OFF THE TERRAIN ACROSS ADJACENT VALLEYS COME TUESDAY. WEDNESDAY LOOKS TO BE VERY SIMILAR TO TUESDAY WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. BY THURSDAY THE RIDGE ALOFT WILL SHIFT OVER NEVADA AND A GRADUAL DRYING TREND FROM THE NORTH WILL OCCUR AS SUBSIDENCE OCCURS ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE RIDGE. THIS DRYING WILL PUSH ACROSS CENTRAL UTAH FRIDAY BUT LIKELY NOT TO CLEAR OUT THE EXTREME SOUTH AS MOISTURE WILL REMAIN RELATIVELY DEEP THERE. IN ADDITION...AN EASTERLY WAVE...WHICH LOOKS LIKE IT ORIGINATES FROM THE REMNANTS OF THE CLOSED LOW CURRENTLY OVER TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA...WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN UTAH FROM EAST TO WEST ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE A LITTLE WITH THE HIGH OVER THE REGION AS WE GO INTO THE WEEKEND. && .AVIATION...THE SLC TERMINAL WILL SEE VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE EVENING. NORTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO SWITCH TO THE SOUTHEAST BETWEEN 03Z AND 05Z. THERE IS A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF A PERIOD OF GUSTY AND/OR ERRATIC WINDS DUE TO SHOWERS IN THE VICINITY OF THE TERMINAL THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING. && .FIRE WEATHER...INCREASING MOISTURE HAS CONTRIBUTED TO WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHWEST UTAH AND THE CENTRAL WASATCH MOUNTAIN SPINE THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECT THIS PATTERN TO CONTINUE INTO MIDWEEK BEFORE A DRIER AIR MASS MOVES IN AS THE WEEKEND APPROACHES. THE COMBINATION OF HIGHER RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AND LIGHT WINDS SHOULD SQUASH MOST FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS AT LEAST FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. IGNITION POTENTIAL FROM LIGHTNING STRIKES WILL MOST LIKELY BE MITIGATED BY WETTING RAINS. GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY. && .SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UT...NONE. WY...NONE. && PUBLIC...STRUTHWOLF AVIATION...TRAPHAGAN FIRE WEATHER...VERZELLA 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 401 AM MDT MON JUL 15 2013 UTZ001>016-019>021-517-518-WYZ021-161000- 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- 401 AM MDT MON JUL 15 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WESTERN TWO THIRDS OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN UTAH...THOUGH THE POTENTIAL IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING WILL INCREASE FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. MEANWHILE...HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE AT OR CLOSE TO TRIPLE DIGITS ACROSS MANY VALLEY LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORKWEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. BARJENBRUCH 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.UDOTTRAFFIC.UTAH.GOV/ROADWEATHERFORECAST.ASPX
The Salt Lake City radar (KMTX), 63 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:42 UTC.
3 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
The Great Salt Lake Marina sensor recorded a maximum wind gust of 59 mph.
A fire started at a Salt Lake City green waste storage site, with lightning as the suspected cause of the fire. The fire was contained to a 200-by-300-foot pit where mulch was stored, and firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze before it spread to any adjacent buildings.
Lightning struck a cluster of oil storage tanks just outside Altamont, starting a fire at the facility. At least one of the tanks exploded, sending 50-foot-tall flames into the air, and creating a loud boom that woke people in Altamont. One tank was launched outside the containment berm around the well location, and two other storage tanks were engulfed in flames before firefighters reached the site. Once crews shut down the gas line that runs near the well, firefighters were able to put out the fire in less than two hours, and no injuries occurred due to the fire or explosion.
The Utah Department of Transportation received a report of hail approximately 0.75 inches in diameter.
Hail approximately the size of a penny was reported near Heber City.
A member of the public in Riverton reported penny-size hail.
The Wendover Peak sensor recorded a wind gust of 58 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, July 2013
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: 469319, 471334, 471335, 469320, 469321, 469323, 469324.