Utah’s highest peaks were battered by hurricane force winds last night as a major winter storm is gaining energy and moving east.
Meteorologists across the Beehive State were paying close attention to anemometers in the Wasatch Mountains as sustained wind speeds exceeded 80 mph and gusts topped out near 120mph!
Check out the wind speeds captured at 11,000 feet on Snowbird’s Hidden Peak. The numbers in pink show the sustained wind speed followed by the gust:
A tad windy up in the Wasatch tonight. Sustained 80mph winds and gusts over 115mph… that’s wild! #UTwx pic.twitter.com/Jr5h6QYjL1
— Andrew Murray (@asketchyfish) December 22, 2022
A Tweet later in the evening by Dan Pope of FOX 13 shows that one gust reached 118mph.
That’s just 6mph shy of the record set on Hidden Peak back in 1986.
To say it was blustery last night is an understatement.
Incredible near #record #breaking wind gusts on Hidden Peak in Little Cottonwood Canyon at @snowbird of 118 mph. The record highest gust ever in Utah was 124 mph at Hidden Peak on November 8, 1986. @weathercaster @fox13 #utwx pic.twitter.com/q0ZrzBOBNU
— Dan Pope (@Dan_Pope_FOX13) December 22, 2022
Snowbird is still getting hit with heavy winds this morning, but speeds have started to die down.
The mountain is reporting 11 inches of new snow since 3pm yesterday, but is warning guests that wind holds are likely. Here’s the full report:
“12-22-2022
Good Morning,
This is Christina with your Mountain Report for Thursday, December 22, 2022. Mother nature has delivered once again! Since 3 pm yesterday, we have received 11 inches of new snow, giving us a total of 216 inches for the season. Today’s forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies with a high near 28. We are seeing high winds at Hidden Peak, which may impact lift operations throughout the day. There is a 20% chance of more snow after 3 pm. Grab your friends, snorkels and get to The Bird for some fresh powder!
As a reminder, the canyon road is slick and icy in spots with the snow, please be traction law prepared and drive safe.”
Stay tuned here at Unofficial Networks for all news related to skiing and snowboarding in Utah. We’ve got you covered!
Featured/Header Images Credit: Snowbird