TOOELE COUNTY – Officials with UDOT say there were nearly a half-dozen crashes on I-80 because of the winds this morning. Several semi trucks were toppled, and the freeway had to be shut down in both directions for a while.
“There have been some higher gusts just north of the Oquirrhs and over the Great Salt Lake in excess of 70 miles an hour,” according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Steve Rogowski.
The high wind warning has been called off by the NWS, but, while it was active, Rogowski says they saw high winds at very high elevations. He says, “All those winds are able to mix down on a day like today due to the combination of summertime heating and the turbulent mixing do to the storm, itself.” He adds, “We’ve seen multiple reports from pilots reporting strong to severe turbulence.”
There is still a wind advisory in effect until 10 tonight in places like the Sanpete and Sevier valleys and the Wasatch Back. Gusts could reach 30 miles an hour.