Mid-level moisture moved into northern Utah on July 4. While some heavy rain was observed along the Wasatch Front, the strongest storms produced severe wind gusts in northwest Utah.
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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.
Mid-level moisture moved into northern Utah on July 4. While some heavy rain was observed along the Wasatch Front, the strongest storms produced severe wind gusts in northwest 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 4, 2:59 PM MST, 2 hours 26 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT 359 PM MDT SAT JUL 4 2015 .SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN WILL SETTLE INTO THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES LATER IN THE WEEKEND. ABUNDANT MOISTURE ALONG WITH WEAK WEATHER DISTURBANCES MOVING THROUGH THE REGION WILL GENERATE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .SHORT TERM (THROUGH 06 UTC TUESDAY)...VERY MOIST AIRMASS IN PLACE ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH AVERAGE PWAT IN EXCESS OF 1 INCH AND A CORE ANALYZED AT 1.3 INCHES OVER WEST-CENTRAL UTAH PER SPC MESO- ANALYSIS. A MID LEVEL DISTURBANCE CONTINUES TO LIFT NORTHWEST INTO EAST-CENTRAL NEVADA...WITH TAIL STRETCHING INTO CENTRAL UTAH ATTM. A COMPLEX OF SHOWERS/STORMS RESIDES WITHIN THIS ZONE COINCIDENT WITH THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE AFOREMENTIONED WAVE WHERE FORCING IS GREATEST...WITH MORE SCATTERED CONVECTION NOTED OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN FROM SOUTHWEST WYOMING TO THE BOOK CLIFFS BENEATH A WEAK SHEAR ZONE ASSOCIATED WITH THE RIDGE AXIS SHIFTING EAST. INHIBITING FACTORS FOR DEEP CONVECTION AND MORE WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN THUS FAR TODAY HAVE BEEN CLOUD COVER AND MEAGER INSTABILITY...BUT SPC MESO-ANALYSIS HAS SHOWN MODEST IMPROVEMENT OF SBCAPE OVER CENTRAL UTAH THIS LAST HOUR. EXPECTING THE CENTRAL UTAH COMPLEX TO SLOWLY LIFT NORTH THIS EVENING...LIKELY IMPACTING THE WASATCH FRONT LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. PRIMARY WEATHER THREAT IN THE NEAR TERM FOCUSES ON THIS WAVE AND A SLIGHT POTENTIAL FOR LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN...AS STORM MOTIONS WILL BE VERY SLOW AND A DECENT WARM CLOUD LAYER COULD PRODUCE HIGH PI RATES. NORTHWARD TRANSLATION OF THE WAVE TONIGHT WILL AID TO DRIVE NOCTURNAL CONVECTION ACROSS THE NORTH...BUT THE SOUTH WILL LIKELY BECOME SUPPRESSED IN WAKE OF ITS PASSAGE. POPS REFLECT THIS. AFOREMENTIONED WAVE PROGGED TO STRETCH/SHEAR NEAR THE UT/ID BORDER TOMORROW AS IT BEGINS TO INTERACT WITH THE NORTHERN BRANCH STREAM. EASTWARD TRANSLATION TOMORROW AFTERNOON WILL ALLOW FOR A FAIRLY SHARP H5/H7 TROUGH AXIS PASSAGE LATE DAY WITH MODEST MID LEVEL MOISTURE CONVERGENCE ALONG AND AHEAD ACROSS NORTHERN UTAH. SPC SREF DOES SHOW CORE OF THE INSTABILITY AXIS COINCIDENT AND AHEAD OF THIS. OPTED TO RAISE POPS ACROSS THE NORTH SOME 10 TO 20 PERCENT AS CONVECTION POTENTIAL APPEARS QUITE GOOD AT THIS TIME...INHIBITING FACTORS COULD BE A SLOW INITIATION DUE TO INITIAL WAVE PASSAGE SUPPRESSION/CLOUD COVER THAT WILL OCCUR LATE TONIGHT/TOMORROW MORNING. SOME MIDLEVEL DRYING IS EXPECTED MONDAY IN A NEAR WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT...BUT LIMITED LOWER LEVEL DRYING OF RESIDUAL MOISTURE IN PLACE OCCURS AS STREAMLINES INDICATE A CONVERGENT MID LEVEL AND MODESTLY MOIST FLOW OVER NORTHERN UTAH BETWEEN THE UPPER LOW OFF THE CALI COAST AND CYCLONIC FLOW OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. CONVECTION AT THAT TIME WILL LIKELY BE OF THE DIURNAL VARIETY WITH FOCUS OVER THE MTNS...BUT SLIGHT CHANCES WILL EXIST FOR MOST ALL VALLEYS AS WELL. .LONG TERM (AFTER 0600 UTC TUE)...FLAT UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AXIS REMAINS OVER THE FOUR CORNERS REGION WITH AN UPPER LEVEL LOW SITUATED OFF THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COAST. BETWEEN THESE FEATURES A MID LEVEL DEFORMATION AXIS STRETCHES FROM SW OREGON THROUGH NRN UTAH. SOUTH OF THE DEFORMATION AXIS RESIDUAL MOISTURE REMAINS IN PLACE WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES GREATER THAN .75" EXPECTED ACROSS UTAH. THUS WILL CONTINUE WITH IDEA OF SLIGHT CHANCE VALLEY POPS AND GENERALLY CHANCE POPS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN FOR TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVES SLIGHTLY EAST ON WEDNESDAY AND A DRY SOUTHWEST FLOW SETS UP OVER MUCH OF THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. HOWEVER...IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE A BIT OF TIME TO SCOUR THE MOISTURE AND WILL KEEP SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR VALLEY LOCATIONS ACROSS THE NRN HALF OF UTAH AS WELL AS SLIGHT CHANCE TO CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN STATEWIDE. UNDER THE PERSISTENT SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT THE AIRMASS REALLY DRIES OUT LATE IN THE WEEK WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES LESS THAN .75" THU DECREASING TO LESS THAN .50" ACROSS UTAH ON FRIDAY. AS THE UPPER LEVEL LOW OFF OF THE CALIFORNIA COAST MOVES INTO THE WESTERN GREAT BASIN LATE IN THE WEEK THE FLOW ALOFT INCREASES AND EXPECT AN INCREASE IN SOUTH-SOUTHWEST SURFACE WINDS...ESPECIALLY FOR FRI WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A BREEZY DAY ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE STATE. THIS INCREASE IN FLOW ALONG WITH THE DRYING AIRMASS WILL BE SOMETHING TO MONITOR FOR POTENTIAL FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS. THE UPPER LEVEL LOW BECOMES AN OPEN WAVE AND LIFTS ACROSS NV INTO THE NRN INTERMOUNTAIN REGION FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. THE ECMWF IS A LITTLE SLOWER THAN THE GFS WITH THE EJECTION OF THE UPPER WAVE...ALTHOUGH THE IDEA IS SIMILAR. WHILE THE SYSTEM WILL BE PRETTY MOISTURE STARVED THE FAR NORTHWEST CORNER OF UTAH MOISTENS UP JUST A BIT ON SAT AS WAVE SLIPS BY TO THE NORTHWEST AND WILL HAVE SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR FAR NORTHWEST UTAH AND THE NORTHERN WASATCH MOUNTAINS NEAR THE ID BORDER. TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE PERIOD WILL BE NEAR NORMAL WITH LITTLE IN THE WAY OF SIGNIFICANT THERMAL ADVECTION EXPECTED. HOWEVER...AS THE WAVE SLIDES NORTHWEST OF UTAH...700 HPA TEMPERATURES DIP TO +10-12C ACROSS NRN UT. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR SOME MINOR COOLING AND IT IS POSSIBLE THAT NEXT WEEKEND WILL START WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S ACROSS NRN UTAH. && .AVIATION...WINDS AT THE SLC TERMINAL WILL PREVAIL OUT OF THE NORTHWEST THROUGH ABOUT 03Z THEN SWITCH BACK TO THE SOUTH. THERE IS AN INCREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS CROSSING THE AIRFIELD AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. THE MAIN IMPACT WILL BE GUSTY ERRATIC WINDS AND ANY CIGS SHOULD STAY ABV 7000 FT. && .FIRE WEATHER...VERY MOIST AIRMASS IN PLACE ACROSS THE DISTRICT THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL REMAIN IN PLACE INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK BEFORE SOME DRYING ALOFT OCCURS. A DISTURBANCE CURRENTLY OVER SOUTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF THE DISTRICT WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT NORTH THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT PROVIDING FOCUS FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS...AND SCATTERED WETTING RAINS. THIS DISTURBANCE WILL FOCUS SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS STORMS OVER NORTHERN PORTIONS TOMORROW WITH MORE ISOLATED POTENTIAL ACROSS THE SOUTH. BOTTOM LINE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...HIGHER RH AND COOLER TEMPS BEGINNING TONIGHT WITH SHOWER AND STORM POTENTIAL REMAINING ELEVATED INTO EARLY WEEK...ESPECIALLY NORTH. A PATTERN SHIFT IS EXPECT TO ALLOW A DRYING SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW TO PENETRATE FROM SW-NE ACROSS THE DISTRICT DURING THE MID/LATE WEEK PERIOD. DRY CONDITIONS COUPLED WITH GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER BASED AND MAINLY ISOLATED CONVECTION LOOKS TO BRING AN ACTIVE FIRE WEATHER PERIOD TO THE DISTRICT DURING THAT TIME. && .SLC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... UT...NONE. WY...NONE. && MERRILL/GRAHAM/WILENSKY 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 252 AM MDT SAT JUL 4 2015 UTZ001>016-019>021-517-518-WYZ021-051300- 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- 252 AM MDT SAT JUL 4 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WESTERN TWO THIRDS OF UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN UTAH TODAY...SPREADING NORTH INTO NORTHERN UTAH AND SOUTHWEST WYOMING THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. GUSTY WINDS...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND LIGHTNING WILL ACCOMPANY THE THUNDERSTORMS. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN HOT ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA. BE ALERT TO THE HAZARDS OF EXCESSIVE HEAT. THE ADDED STRESS CAN BE DANGEROUS...PARTICULARLY FOR SENSITIVE INDIVIDUALS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE AGAIN OVER THE REGION THROUGH THE EARLY WEEK. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS MUCH OF THE OUTLOOK AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL RETURN CLOSER TO SEASONAL LEVELS DUE TO CLOUD COVER AND PRECIPITATION. A DRIER AND GUSTY SOUTHWEST WIND IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP MID TO LATE WEEK...INCREASING THE THREAT OF HAZARDOUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. ROGOWSKI/CHENG FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE VISIT... HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/SALTLAKECITY/ (ALL LOWER CASE) FOR INFORMATION ON POTENTIAL ROAD TRAVEL IMPACTS VISIT... HTTP://WWW.UDOTTRAFFIC.UTAH.GOV/ROADWEATHERFORECAST.ASPX
The Salt Lake City radar (KMTX), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:27 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Peak wind gusts across the Great Salt Lake Desert included 71 mph at the Interstate 80 at Milepost 78 sensor and 61 mph at the Upper Cedar Mountain sensor in the Dugway Proving Ground mesonet.
A 58 mph wind gust was recorded at the Great Salt Lake Marina.
The Badger Island sensor recorded a maximum wind gust of 69 mph.
The Hat Island sensor recorded a peak wind gust of 65 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, July 2015
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: 596586, 596584, 596587, 596585.