This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Nothing like a weekend of hurricane-force winds to make northern Utahns appreciate a relatively mild, breezy spring day.
After a Sunday when winds topped 90 mph in Weber County, ripping up trees, demolishing fences, and tossing trampolines and lawn furniture around like kale in a blender, the new work week dawned far calmer. The National Weather Service let an advisory for the region expire early Monday morning as winds settled down to 10-20 mph.
Before that happened, though, the NWS on Sunday recorded a 91 mph gust at its U.S. 89-Park Lane station, while Farmington and Centerville came in with readings of 87 and 81 mph. Snowbasin hit 75 mph, and the wind spun up a 70 in South Ogden. Salt Lake City and St. George recorded winds of 53 and 50 mph, respectively.
Wind-damaged or toppled power lines left more than 20,000 without electrical services late Sunday, and nearly 3,900 Ogden-area customers remained without power Monday morning, Rocky Mountain Power officials reported. Repair crews were out in force, expecting to work through the day to restore service.
The power outage forced court officials to postpone hearings in Farmington's 2nd District Juvenile Court, although hearings were still to be held in adult court, officials said.
Tuesday's forecast for the Wasatch Front called for high temperatures in the low-70s, up about 10 degrees from Monday's highs. Clear, sunny skies were predicted as well. Southern Utahns began Monday with a last cycle of rain showers left over from a gusty weekend, and the precipitation — along with periodic thunderstorms — was expected to continue into the evening. Tuesday, however, will dawn sunny and clear, with daytime highs in the mid-80s.
While many Utahns began the week cleaning up wind-driven debris, at least they were able to breathe deeply without endangering their health. The Utah Division of Air Quality awarded "green," or healthy grades statewide in the wake of the weekend's atmosphere-scrubbing storms.
Still, it seems nature abhors imbalance. Breathe deeply, but if you are an allergy sufferer you may first want to drop that antihistamine pill or take a shot of neo-synephrine up the old schnoz. The Intermountain Allergy & Asthma website listed mulberry pollen levels at "very high," and sycamore and oak "high" as of Monday. Mold was elevated some, too, coming in at "moderate."
For more extensive forecast information, visit The Salt Lake Tribune's weather page at: http//www.sltrib.com/weather/.
Twitter: @remims