Utah Top 10 Weather Events
Utah's Top 10 Weather Events of 1900s
1. APR-JUN 1983
- THE MOST SEVERE AND EXTENSIVE SNOW MELT FLOODING
IN THE HISTORY OF UTAH OCCURRED DURING THE
SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER. THE
WIDESPREAD FLOOD AND MUD DAMAGE ALONG THE
WASATCH FRONT IMPACTED A
MAJOR POPULATION AREA OF THE STATE.
IN APR.. A MASSIVE MUDSLIDE
BLOCKED THE SPANISH FORK RIVER JUST BELOW
THISTLE. U.S. HIGHWAY 6..
THE MAIN ACCESS TO PRICE WAS DESTROYED AS
WELL AS THE MAINLINE OF THE
DENVER AND RIO GRANDE RAILROAD. THE
TOWN OF THISTLE WAS INUNDATED AND
BURIED BY THE NEWLY CREATED DAM. LATER
IN MAY INTO EARLY JUN..
RECORD FLOWS WERE MEASURED ON FIVE OF THE
SIX CREEKS IN THE SALT LAKE
VALLEY. CITY CREEK CARRIED OVER TWICE
THE PEAK SNOW MELT FLOW EVER
RECORDED AND HAD TO BE REROUTED ALONG SOME
OF THE MAJOR STREETS IN
DOWNTOWN SALT LAKE. IN ADDITION, CHALK
CREEK NEAR COALVILLE.. THE
SEVIER RIVER AT HATCH.. AND BOTH ASHLEY AND
DRY CREEKS NEAR VERNAL
REGISTERED RECORD FLOWS. NUMEROUS OTHER
CREEKS AND RIVERS IN THE
STATE WERE NEAR RECORD OR WELL ABOVE RECORD
LEVELS. LATER IN JUN..
THE DMAD DAM NEAR DELTA FAILED COMPLETELY
INUNDATING THE TOWN OF
DESERET. AT LEAST SEVEN PERSONS DROWNED
IN THE HIGH WATERS. DAMAGE
ESTIMATES WERE AROUND $300 MILLION.
2. AUG 11TH
1999 - A STRONG F2 (113-157 MPH)
TORNADO TORE A
DESTRUCTIVE PATH THROUGH THE SALT LAKE METROPOLITAN
AREA OF SALT LAKE
CITY. THE MIDDAY TORNADO HAD AN AVERAGE
WIDTH OF 100-200 YARDS..
CARVED A PATH 4 1/4 MILES LONG.. AND WAS
ON THE GROUND FOR 14
MINUTES. THE PATH WAS FROM WEST OF
THE DELTA CENTER.. NORTH OF
TEMPLE SQUARE.. THROUGH MEMORY GROVE.. AND
THE NORTHWEST SECTION OF
THE AVENUES. IT KILLED ONE PERSON..
INJURED MORE THAN 80 PEOPLE..
DESTROYED OR DAMAGED 500 TREES.. AND CAUSED
ABOUT $170 MILLION IN
DAMAGE.
3. FEB 17TH
1926 - UTAH'S MOST DEADLY AVALANCHE
OCCURRED IN BINGHAM
CANYON. IT DEMOLISHED 14 MINERS COTTAGES..
A 3-STORY BOARDING
HOUSE.. AND KILLED 36 PEOPLE AND INJURED
13 OTHERS OUT OF THE 65
PEOPLE THAT WERE IN ITS PATH.
4. WINTER OF
1948-49 - UTAH'S MOST SEVERE
WINTER SINCE 1899 OCCURRED
DURING THE WINTER OF 1948-49. IT WAS
THE COLDEST WINTER ON RECORD..
WITH RECORD AMOUNTS OF SEASONAL SNOWFALL
REPORTED ALONG THE WASATCH
FRONT AND OTHER PORTIONS OF UTAH. NEARLY
A 25% LOSS IN SOME
LIVESTOCK HERDS WAS REPORTED.. MANY FRUIT
TREES WERE KILLED..
WILDLIFE STRUGGLED FOR EXISTENCE.. TOURIST
TRADE REACHED AN ALL-TIME
LOW.. AND 10 PEOPLE DIED FROM EXPOSURE.
5. JUN 10 1965
- A HUSBAND.. WIFE.. THEIR THREE CHILDREN.. AND TWO
NEPHEWS WERE DROWNED IN A FLASH FLOOD IN
SHEEP CREEK CANYON OF THE
UINTA MOUNTAINS. THEY WERE CAMPED IN
PALISADES CAMPGROUND ALONG THE
SNOW MELT SWOLLEN WATER OF SHEEP CREEK.
HEAVY RAINS IN THE AREA
TURNED THE CREEK INTO A RAGING TORRENT.
THE FLOOD COMPLETELY
DESTROYED FIVE MILES OF NEWLY PAVED HIGHWAY,
THREE RECREATION AREAS,
AND SEVEN BRIDGES. DAMAGE ESTIMATES
WERE PLACED AT OVER 1 MILLION
DOLLARS.
6. AUG 13TH
1923 - ONE OF UTAH'S MOST DISASTROUS
AND DEADLY FLOODS
CAUSED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS DAMAGE
TO FARMINGTON..
CENTERVILLE.. AND WILLARD. A FAMILY
OF SIX CAMPING IN FARMINGTON
CANYON PERISHED IN THE FLOOD. OBSERVERS
IN FARMINGTON CANYON
REPORTED FLOOD CRESTS 75-100 FEET HIGH AND
200 FEET WIDE. PATRONS AT
NEARBY LAGOON WERE RESCUED FROM TREES AND
ROOFS AS THEY SOUGHT REFUGE
FROM THE RAPIDLY RISING WATERS. AT
WILLARD.. FOUR DWELLINGS WERE
DESTROYED AND TWO WOMEN DIED WHEN THEIR HOUSE
WAS DEMOLISHED.
7. JAN 6TH-11TH
1993 - A MAJOR SNOW EVENT HIT
SALT LAKE COUNTY WITH
A "ONCE-IN-A-100 YEAR EVENT". HEAVY
SNOW FELL NEARLY CONTINUOUSLY
FOR A SIX DAY PERIOD. SALT LAKE INTERNATIONAL
REPORTED A RECORD
"STORM" TOTAL OF 23.3 INCHES/26 INCHES ON
THE GROUND. UPWARDS OF 3
FEET OF SNOW WAS MEASURED ON THE EAST SIDE
OF THE VALLEY. GOVERNOR
LEAVITT DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN
SALT LAKE COUNTY THE MORNING
OF THE 11TH DUE TO MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF SNOW.
THIS ACTION ACTIVATED
THE UTAH NATIONAL GUARD WHO ASSISTED IN SNOW
REMOVAL.
8. APR 4TH-5TH
1983 - A SEVERE CANYON WIND EPISODE
WAS EXPERIENCED
ALONG THE WASATCH FRONT FROM UTAH COUNTY
NORTHWARD. WIDESPREAD WIND
GUSTS 60-80 MPH WERE NOTED WITH A PEAK GUST
OF 104 MPH MEASURED IN
THE HILL FIELD/LAYTON AREA. UTAH POWER
AND LIGHT REPORTED 54 MAJOR
TRANSMISSION TOWERS FROM THE BEN LOMOND SUBSTATION
WERE EITHER
DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. 12 FLATBED RAILROAD
CARS FROM THE UNION
PACIFIC WITH LOADED TRAILERS WERE OVERTURNED
NEAR FARMINGTON. THE
DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY SERVICES IN WEBER COUNTY
INDICATED THAT HE HAD
NEVER SEEN SUCH EXTENSIVE GLASS DAMAGE IN
DOWNTOWN OGDEN. HE STATED,
"ALMOST EVERY GLASS WINDOW IN THE AREA WAS
DESTROYED".
9. SUMMER OF
1943 - DURING THE SUMMER OF 1943..
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
PRODUCED LARGE HAIL.. HEAVY RAIN.. AND EXTENSIVE
FLOODING THAT KILLED
23,300 TURKEYS IN BOX ELDER.. DAVIS.. WEBER..
AND UTAH COUNTIES.
THESE EVENTS HAPPENED ON JUNE 15 (8,300 TURKEYS)..
JULY 15 (10,000)..
AND JULY 22 (5,000). THE DOLLAR LOSS
OF THESE TURKEYS WAS ABOUT
$70,000.
10. SEP 1ST
1939 - LIGHTNING HIT AND KILLED
835 SHEEP THAT HAD BEEN
BEDDED DOWN FOR THE NIGHT ON THE TOP OF PINE
CANYON IN THE RAFT RIVER
MOUNTAINS OF BOX ELDER COUNTY. RAIN
FROM A PASSING THUNDERSTORM WET
THE GROUND AND SHEEP.. CAUSING THE LIGHTNING'S
ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE
TO MOVE COMPLETELY THROUGH THE HERD.
FIFTEEN SHEEP (OUT OF 850)
SURVIVED. THE SHEEPHERDER WAS KNOCKED
TEMPORARILY UNCONSCIOUS.. BUT
ESCAPED DEATH BECAUSE HE WAS IN A TENT.
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