Record-breaking wind blows through St. George

Nearby hills obscured by high winds from a parking lot, St. George, Utah, May 8, 2022 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A day after the Ironman athletes raced through the city, Mother Nature made her power known with some of the highest wind ever recorded in the St. George area.

The dust blown up by the winds put a hazy cover over the setting sun and everything from trees to street signs battled to stay upright.

The windiest period was between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday, with sustained winds of 47 mph and gusts up to 53 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Workers at the airport told St. George News that they were told by pilots that this was some of the worst wind they’ve ever landed in. And they weren’t far off.

According to National Weather Service records, it was the highest sustained winds recorded at St. George Regional Airport since they were first recorded in 2011. The previous high was 44 mph on Oct. 5 of last year.

The St. George area sees record-breaking wind, May 8, 2022 | Photo courtesy Tiffinie Vogel, St. George News

Sam Webber with the weather service’s Salt Lake City office said there isn’t enough information to determine if Sunday was the windiest day ever in St. George, but it definitely was a case where all of the scenarios to create a windy city came together.

I’ve been here for three years and noticed it takes a lot to get things blowing in St. George. Yesterday (Sunday) was one of those scenarios where everything came together to make it extra fun,” Webber said, who added it all came down to a cold front and a big weather difference between the southern and northern parts of the state that even saw some spring snow.

“We had a cold front, and ahead of that cold front, the winds were strong, then there was a pressure gradient where the difference in the surface pressure between Northern and Southern Utah was kicking up,” Webber said.

An official with St. George Police said they had received no reports of damage.

The back end of the cold front dropped the high temperatures in St. George back down Monday, with the wind and temperature expected to kick back up Tuesday with gusts in the 20 mph range according to the National Weather Service.

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