Farmington residents prepare for yet another major wind storm

FARMINGTON, Utah — The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning lasting until noon on Friday. When it comes to the forecasted hurricane-force winds, residents of Farmington know what to do in the event of a wind storm. 

Nestled up to the mouth of Farmington Canyon, the small city in Davis County tends to find itself in the bullseye of most major wind storms that hit Northern Utah.

According to the National Weather Service, the intersection of Park Lane and U.S. 89 saw a wind gust of 99 mph in September 2020. That storm toppled countless trees and knocked out power for thousands of Utahns living along the Wasatch Front.

Farmington dealt with a similar storm in 2011. It has seen a smattering of strong wind events in between.

KSL Meteorologist Matt Johnson said Farmington could see gusts of 85 mph or potentially greater.

Prepping for another wind storm

For residents of the quaint little city, preparing for high-wind events is just standard operating procedure.

“I’ve never experienced winds like this until I lived in Farmington,” said Jason Wessman.

At his last home, the 2011 wind storm blew the roof off. His garage door and fence were destroyed.

He’s seen the impacts of high winds on his second Farmington home, too. The 2020 wind storm ripped the roof off his shed and blew away the hot tub cover.

“If you haven’t experienced 100 mph winds or close to it, you just don’t know what it’s like,” Wessman said. “Until you experience it, you [don’t] really realize what type of force you’re dealing with.”

When he was told that Thursday’s storm isn’t expected to be as strong as 2020’s, Rivers cracked a smile. “Good,” he said. 

“The only thing that we’re going to do is just shift everything we can to a safe place and then hopefully get some sleep.”

A first-time experience

Michelle Angus and her family moved from Riverton to Farmington about a year ago, so Thursday will be a first for them.

“I’m not that nervous about it because…whatever’s going to happen will happen,” Angus said. “We’ll be in our house and hope we’re fine.”

In preparation for the storm, all three families have either made plans to or already secured outdoor furniture, trash cans, and other items.

Whatever happens, each said they’d be waiting out the winds indoors with their families, and are all hoping for the best come Friday as the winds start to ease.

“We’ve been pretty lucky, knock on wood, so far so hopefully it will stay that way,” Rivers said.

Related: Major wind storm to hit Northern Utah on Thursday

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