Utah high wind and dust storms
Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 29 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,200 high wind and dust records in Utah from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 42 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 25, 2021 dust storm in Juab County and Millard County: 8 deaths, 10 injuries and $327,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. Utah ranks 36th of 52 states and territories by count and 44th of 51 per square mile.
High wind and dust storms in Utah, 1996 to 2026
Wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 1,2001996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 42average
- Deaths
- 20143 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $177Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 202289 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are high wind and dust records common in Utah?
Utah averages about 42 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 36th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2022 (89). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Utah records 145 high wind and dust records since 1996, 44th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Utah have the most high wind and dust records?
Per square mile, Davis County leads Utah: 88 days with a high wind record since 1996, 271.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Tooele County has the most wind records (343 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the windy season in Utah?
Utah's high wind and dust records by month. The busiest month is April (231 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 58 · Feb 123 · Mar 177 · Apr 231 · May 126 · Jun 137 · Jul 15 · Aug 29 · Sep 32 · Oct 71 · Nov 108 · Dec 93 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest high wind and dust records in Utah?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-07-25 | Dust StormJuab County and Millard County · forecast zone Eastern Juab/Millard Counties Thunderstorm outflow winds generated blowing dust with near zero visibility along Interstate 15 near milepost 152 south of Fillmore. This resulted in a multi vehicle pileup with at least 22 vehicles involved, 8 fatalities, and 10 injuries. The nearest mesonet site located 7 miles south of the crash site recorded a ... | 8 | 10 | $327K | |
| 2015-04-14 | High WindBox Elder County and Tooele County · forecast zone Great Salt Lake Desert And Mountains The winds were strongest across Utah's northwest desert, with maximum wind gusts of 82 mph at both Lakeside Mountain and English Village, 81 mph at the Interstate 80 at Milepost 1 sensor, 75 mph at Badger Island, 74 mph at Upper Cedar Mountain, 72 mph at the Wendover Point of Entry, and many observations in the 55-70 ... | 71 kt wind | 1 | 25 | $187K |
| 2020-09-08 | High WindSalt Lake County and Tooele County · forecast zone Salt Lake And Tooele Valleys One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. An abnormal weather pattern for September developed, triggering a significant downslope wind event. Based on climatology and previous case study findings, this type of event most commonly occurs during the winter months. Downslope wind events are often confined to areas near canyon mouths, and usually impact only ... | 77 kt wind | 1 | 24 | $4.9M |
| 2013-11-21 | High WindBox Elder County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Wasatch Front Downslope winds were strongest in the northern Wasatch Front, with a peak recorded wind gust of 85 mph at a UDOT shed in Centerville. Other sensors in Centerville and Farmington also recorded 80 mph wind gusts. The wind knocked out power to more than 10,000 residents across the area. Included in these power outages ... | 74 kt wind | 1 | 1 | $380K |
| 2025-06-11 | Strong WindBox Elder County · forecast zone Eastern Box Elder County Perry Police Department was called to Perry Park just before 5 PM Wednesday, June 11 for reports of traumatic injuries due to a large tree branch falling on two individuals. One individual, an 80-year old woman, died on the scene. The other individual, a 28-year old woman, was transported to the hospital in serious ... | 39 kt wind | 1 | 1 | – |
| 2025-10-11 | Strong WindSalt Lake County · forecast zone Salt Lake Valley The Redwest Music Festival, being held at the Utah State Fairpark, was paused and crowds were evacuated preemptively around 5 p.m. Saturday due to a cold front approaching the area. It is estimated that 60,000 people attended each day of the three day event. The cold front brought wind gusts from 35-50 mph at the ... | 48 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $25K |
| 2025-08-02 | Strong WindBox Elder County · forecast zone Eastern Box Elder County Two individuals went out on the water at Willard Bay State Park on an inflatable raft during the afternoon of Saturday, August 2. Outflow winds from thunderstorms near the Utah-Idaho border pushed through Willard Bay area around 4:20 p.m. with wind gusts at nearby weather stations reported to be as high as 25-30 mph ... | 35 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2024-08-23 | Strong WindWashington County · forecast zone Lower Washington County Around 430 p.m., three paddleboarders were near the dock at Quail Creek Reservoir when gusty winds pushed them away from the dock. They were not wearing life vests. Two of the people were able to swim back and reach the shore, but a third person was later found unconscious and unresponsive by Quail Creek State Park ... | 39 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2024-08-10 | Strong WindBox Elder County · forecast zone Eastern Box Elder County A 38-year-old man drowned Saturday in the waters of the northwest portion of Willard Bay during stormy conditions. This individual attempted to rescue another who went into the water to rescue another who had a life jacket. Nearby wind gusts with an associated outflow boundary ranged from 28 mph (Willard POE RWIS, ... | 30 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2024-08-03 | Strong WindBox Elder County · forecast zone Eastern Box Elder County A 51-year-old male was reportedly swept away by winds and waves during a storm. The call to rescuers came in at 8:51 p.m. Weather observations in the area showed wind gusts on the east side of Willard Bay picking up to 42 mph by 8:40 p.m. and 45 mph by 8:50 p.m. Another weather station south of Willard Bay showed wind ... | 35 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest high wind and dust records in Utah
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12-01 | High WindBox Elder County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Wasatch Front One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 89 kt wind | 0 | 4 | $108M |
| 1999-04-22 | High WindBox Elder County and 2 more · forecast zone Ne Box Elder T X Ne/W Weber/Davis | 0 | 0 | $20M | |
| 1997-04-02 | High WindBox Elder County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Wasatch Front/Brigham City/Ogden Bountiful | 0 | 20 | $7.8M | |
| 1997-02-24 | High WindBox Elder County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Wasatch Front/Brigham City/Ogden Bountiful | 0 | 3 | $7.8M | |
| 2001-05-02 | High WindSalt Lake County and Tooele County · forecast zone W Salt Lake T X W/E Toole T X E One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 64 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5.7M |
| 2020-09-08 | High WindSalt Lake County and Tooele County · forecast zone Salt Lake And Tooele Valleys One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 77 kt wind | 1 | 24 | $4.9M |
| 2000-03-20 | High WindBox Elder County and 2 more · forecast zone Northern Wasatch Front/Brigham City/Ogden Bountiful One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 100 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $4.4M |
| 2002-04-15 | High WindBeaver County and 9 more · forecast zone X Nw Kane/Xs Xe Iron/N W Washington/Nw Wc Garfield/Piute/W Wayne/Sevier T C/X E Millard/S Sanpete T Sc/X Se Juab/P X Nw Emery/X E Beaver | 75 kt wind | 0 | 10 | $3.4M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are high wind and dust records becoming more frequent in Utah?
Utah's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Utah | United States | Utah's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 100 | 14,026 | 0.7% |
| 2000s | 279 | 37,254 | 0.7% |
| 2010s | 499 | 41,748 | 1.2% |
| 2020-26 | 322 | 36,300 | 0.9% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent high wind and dust records in Utah
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-29 | High WindUintah County · forecast zone Eastern Uinta Basin | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-13 | Dust StormCache County · forecast zone Cache Valley/Utah Portion | 0 | 7 | $100K | |
| 2026-05-13 | High WindBox Elder County and 3 more · forecast zone Great Salt Lake Desert And Mountains | 59 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-26 | Strong WindDavis County and Weber County · forecast zone Northern Wasatch Front | 35 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-22 | High WindDavis County and Weber County · forecast zone Northern Wasatch Front | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-22 | High WindBox Elder County and 3 more · forecast zone Great Salt Lake Desert And Mountains | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-21 | High WindSalt Lake County · forecast zone Salt Lake Valley | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-21 | High WindTooele County · forecast zone Tooele And Rush Valleys | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-12 | Strong WindBox Elder County | 35 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-01 | Strong WindJuab County and Millard County · forecast zone Eastern Juab/Millard Counties | 48 kt wind | 0 | 1 | – |
| 2026-02-18 | High WindSan Juan County · forecast zone Southeast Utah | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-17 | High WindGrand County · forecast zone Grand Flat And Arches | 63 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Next
- Davis County: the county's whole recordThe Utah county with the most high wind and dust records per square mile
- High wind and dust storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in UtahTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Winter storms in Utah4,165 records
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Utah2,483 records
- Floods in Utah1,399 records