Strong winds ahead of storm causing power and traffic issues

WASATCH FRONT – Windy, dusty and getting colder.  Meteorologists say the storm coming into the Wasatch Front is causing strong winds and creating a lot of problems.

That dust that’s in the air along the Wasatch Front is actually being brought in from the dry Sevier Lake.  It got so bad, it forced the closure of a road in Eagle Mountain.

Here’s how bad it looked.

The National Weather Service tracked gusts of 73 miles per hour along S.R. 201 near the I-80 interchange.  They tracked gusts of 84 miles an hour in the Uinta Mountains.  The winds got so strong, tours at the newly renovated Jordan River LDS Temple had to be called off for the day, and the Dragon Lights exhibit at the Utah State Fairpark was called off for the night.

“The southern end of the Salt Lake Valley tends to be very windy, out toward the South Jordan, Riverton, Herriman area. We’re looking for strong winds along the Bacchus Highway,” according to National Weather Service Forecaster Mike Seaman.

The wind isn’t just causing traffic problems and power failures, either.  Seaman says it’s also causing headaches and watery eyes.

“Allergens are very high.  A lot of dust will be blown around with these kinds of winds.  So, if you’re prone to allergies, it could be a pretty rough day,” he says.

All this wind is ushering in a storm that Seaman says could bring a significant amount of snow to the Wasatch Front.  He says, “There will be an inch or two on the grassy surfaces of the Salt Lake Valley, possibly more on the benches.  As you get into the mountains, there will be several inches, maybe a foot in the upper Cottonwoods.”