High winds and fast-moving thunderstorms tore across Utah on Wednesday, knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses and leaving a patchwork of outages from one end of the state to the other. Customers went dark in pockets from Lewiston in Cache County all the way down to Toquerville in Washington County, as residents reported downed tree limbs and damaged service equipment in both valley neighborhoods and higher terrain.
FOX 13 reported that Rocky Mountain Power's outage map showed roughly 8,519 customers without electricity statewide. About 960 of those were in the Mendon area, and around 1,000 were in Summit County, with additional clusters in the Salt Lake Valley numbering in the thousands. Utility officials said specific causes were still being investigated while estimated restoration times rolled out on the online outage map.
PowerOutage.us, an independent tracker that compiles data from utilities, reflected a similar picture with roughly 8,600 customers listed as out across Utah, Salt Lake, and Cache counties, among the hardest hit. Third-party trackers update on their own schedules compared with the utility, so outage totals can jump around as repair crews bring circuits back online.
Storms, microbursts and gusts up to 70 mph
The National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City issued severe thunderstorm and high wind alerts on Wednesday, warning about the potential for "isolated to widely scattered severe microburst winds of 60-70 mph" strong enough to snap trees and knock over power poles. The agency also posted High Wind Warnings and Red Flag warnings in parts of the state, underscoring the risk of infrastructure damage and fire starts in areas already dealing with dry conditions.
How to report outages and stay safe
Rocky Mountain Power maintains an interactive outage map and asks customers to report outages online, by calling 1-877-508-5088, or by texting OUT to 759677. The company also urges people to keep a safe distance from any downed power lines and to have backup plans ready if they depend on electricity-powered medical equipment.
Crews were working into the evening to get service back, with estimated restoration times shifting hour by hour as repairs progressed. Local outlets and tracking sites are continually updating their feeds, so residents are encouraged to check fresh forecasts and outage maps for the latest from FOX 13 and PowerOutage.us.
