Thunderstorms bring strong wind gusts, potential for hail across Utah

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SALT LAKE CITY — A thunderstorm brought high wind gusts to areas across the Wasatch Front as it moved through the area Tuesday evening.

Wind gusts of more than 70 miles per hour were reported with the storm, which moved through Tooele and headed through Salt Lake and Davis counties, according to the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City. There was also potential for hail up to 1 inch in diameter, the weather service said.

Various areas of Kane County, Millard County and Tooele county were under significant weather advisories until 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour. The weather service advised people in those areas to take shelter due to the high winds and to secure lightweight objects during the storm.

Significant Weather Advisory: A Strong Thunderstorm Will Impact Portions Of Southeastern Tooele County Through 1030 PM MDT. https://t.co/QzbInSVPo9 ##utwx #wywx pic.twitter.com/EUDwyzdHEo
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) August 18, 2021

Tooele, Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties, including West Valley City, Salt Lake City, Bountiful, Farmington, Layton and Clearfield were under a severe thunderstorm warning until 6:15 p.m.

At 5:45 p.m., the weather service said it was raining "very very heavily" at the Salt Lake City International Airport. The weather service also received a report of a 78 miles per hour wind gust associated with the storms.

The Weber County Sheriff's Office advised people to prepare their homes and yards for severe weather, including strong downslope winds, from Tuesday evening through Wednesday. Extra support from Rocky Mountain Power has been called into Weber County due to the potential for power outages in the area, the sheriff's office said.

The storm also suspended warmups for the Salt Lake Bees' series finale Tuesday against Sacramento.

The Bees (42-47) were scheduled to go against the RiverCats at 6:35 p.m. MT, but groundskeepers placed a tarp over the field while waiting out the storm. The game was postponed and will not be immediately made up. Sacramento was scheduled to leave town Wednesday morning, and the Bees are currently scheduled to host the Reno Aces in a six-game series beginning Thursday.

Tickets for Tuesday's game can be exchanged digitally for a future Bees game at https://bit.ly/SLRainout2021.

Meanwhile, a storm near Kanosh in southern Utah brought the potential for pingpong ball-sized hail to the area, the weather service said. There was also some rotation observed with the storm, which could have potentially led to a tornado watch or warning, the weather service said.

More rain and cooler air is expected Wednesday, according to KSL meteorologist Grant Weyman. Snow could even be possible in very high elevations Wednesday, he added. More rain is possible on Saturday.

The full weather forecast is available at ksl.com/weather.

Contributing: Sean Walker and Tyler Pratt, KSL.com