CENTERVILLE — Heavy winds damaged homes, knocked out power, toppled trees and might be to blame for one death in Davis and Weber counties early Sunday.
The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City reported wind gusts reaching 91 mph at the junction of Park Lane and U.S.-89 in Farmington just before 6 a.m. South Ogden had the strongest winds in Weber County at 70 mph.
"It sounded a freight train. It was pretty intense," said Kaysville resident Stroh DeCaire.
Easterly downslope wind events typically hit the Farmington-Centerville area the hardest, said National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Seaman.
The Utah Department of Transportation restricted high-profile vehicles on 1-15 in northern Utah for several hours Sunday morning. The northbound and southbound lanes to the freeway from Brigham City to Elwood remained closed to those types of trucks Sunday evening.
Chris Hulse, 61, of Magna was driving southbound on the freeway near Parrish Lane in Centerville at 5:30 a.m. when he inexplicably veered right and slammed into the back of semi parked in the emergency lane due to the high wind warning, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
The UHP said the wind possibly pushed Hulse's pickup truck into the semi. Hulse, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was transported to a Bountiful hospital where he died from his injuries, according to the UHP.
Northbound I-15 near Corinne, Box Elder County, was shut down for a time while troopers cleared three tipped semi trucks. Perry said all three trucks were empty and susceptible to the wind.
As many as 39,000 Rocky Mountain Power customers in northern Utah were without power Saturday night. Crews working to repair damaged and downed lines reduced that number to about 21,000 as of Sunday afternoon.
The Red Cross was helping an Ogden family after the roof of their house was blown off. The wind uprooted trees around the Weber High School soccer field.
In Honeyville, Box Elder County, the wind overturned a 32-foot-long sheep shearing trailer, killing 11 sheep.
Kaysville posted a video on its city Facebook page showing severe damage to a home on Oxford Drive where a large tree fell into the house. No one was injured.
Davis County Sheriff's Sgt. Eric Hilton said the county "got off light" compared to the windstorm that wreaked havoc in the area in December 2011. Sunday's wind mostly downed trees and branches, caused power outages and knocked out traffic lights, he said.
The storm blew over a hard-wired backyard barbecue, breaking a natural gas line. Fires crews quickly repaired it, he said.
Centerville Police Lt. Von Steenblik said damage mostly confined to trees in yards and park, vinyl fences and some roofs, including a business and an apartment complex under construction.
Residents spent Sunday afternoon cleaning up downed trees and broken limbs. City crews were accepting the green waste at Smoot Park and Island View Park.
Contributing: Alex Cabrero
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