Ron Brackett and Jan Wesner Childs
Dozens of semis were blown over in winds that gusted up to 99 mph Tuesday in Utah.
Four drivers were taken to hospitals after at least 37 semi trucks and other high profile vehicles were knocked sideways by the winds, Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Nick Street told weather.com.
Video shot on Interstate 15 near Centerville showed one of the rollovers.
Street said the drivers taken to hospitals all had minor injuries, mostly cuts and bruises.
The weather system dropped temperatures as much as 60 degrees in 24 hours and brought the powerful winds to Utah, as well as heavy snow to parts of Colorado, Montana and Wyoming.
Nearly 180,000 homes and businesses across Utah lost power, according to poweroutage.us. Another 36,000 customers lost electricity in Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado. More than 109,000 outages were still being reported in Utah Wednesday morning.
The high winds also forced the closure of Utah schools and the state Capitol building Tuesday morning.
Eight trees were toppled around the Capitol in Salt Lake City, according to Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox.
The Salt Lake City School District canceled all classes on what was supposed to be the first day of school. The Davis, Ogden and Weber school districts also canceled classes for Tuesday because of the high winds and power outages. The University of Utah canceled classes, too.
Restrictions were placed on semitractor trailers on the state's highways. The Highway Patrol said there were numerous closures on Interstate 15 from Salt Lake City to the Idaho border. It warned motorists not to get out of their vehicles because of the danger of flying debris.
Downed trees and fallen power lines blocked dozens of streets.
The National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City reported a 99-mph wind gust in Farmington.
A strong low-pressure system combined with an area of high pressure allowed a significant downslope wind event to take shape in parts of northern Utah, according to weather.com meteorologist Linda Lam. This system also brought much colder temperatures and the chance for snow to parts of the region.
In Wyoming, parts of Interstate 80 and other highways closed as snow began to fall.
Beartooth Pass on U.S. Highway 212 was closed completely, including at the Lower Gate 12 miles south of Red Lodge, Montana, all the way to Long Lake on the Wyoming side, the Montana Department of Transportation announced.
In Colorado, temperatures dropped by up to 60 degrees in less than 24 hours.
The snow and wind slammed Steamboat Springs, about 110 miles northwest of Denver, according to Steamboat Radio. Trees had fallen all around town.
Rabbit Ears Pass, southeast of Steamboat Springs on Highway 40, closed because of crashes and winter driving conditions, according to KMGH-TV.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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