846
NOUS45 KSLC 022334 CCA
PNSSLC
UTZ101>131-WYZ021-031100-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
534 PM MDT FRI OCT 2 2026
..NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 09/18/2026 TORNADO EVENT
FRANCIS PEAK TORNADO
RATING: EF2
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 120 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 5.93 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 1900 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 09/18/2026
START TIME: 01:44 PM MDT
START LOCATION: 1 E FRUIT HEIGHTS / DAVIS COUNTY / UT
START LAT/LON: 41.0331 / -111.8845
END DATE: 09/18/2026
END TIME: 02:00 PM MDT
END LOCATION: 4 WSW PETERSON / MORGAN COUNTY / UT
END LAT/LON: 41.0886 / -111.8102
SURVEY SUMMARY:
THIS TORNADO IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE TOUCHED DOWN AT 1:44PM MT ALONG
BAIR CANYON NEAR 6000FT IN DAVIS COUNTY. IT TREKKED UP THE CANYON
PRODUCING PRIMARILY EF-1 DAMAGE TO MULTIPLE SOFTWOOD CONIFERS AND
HARDWOOD ASPEN GROVES. A FEW INSTANCES OF EF-2 TREE DAMAGE WERE
NOTED ALONG THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF BAIR CANYON VIA SENTINEL
SATELLITE IMAGERY AND OTHER PHOTOS FROM HIKERS. NUMEROUS CONIFERS
WERE FELLED, AS WELL AS CONIFERS THAT WERE COMPLETELY DEFOLIATED AND
HAD THE TOP OF THE TREE COMPLETELY SHEARED OFF. AS THE TORNADO
SUMMITED FRANCIS PEAK INTO MORGAN COUNTY AROUND 9500FT, IT WOULD
GO ON TO SNAP NUMEROUS CONIFERS ALONG THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. THE
TORNADO WOULD THEN TAKE A MORE NORTHEASTERN TURN AS IT REACHED
THE MIDDLE SMITH LAKE AREA ON ITS DESCENT DOWN THE EAST FACING
SIDE OF FRANCIS PEAK. THIS IS PRECISELY WHERE SOME OF THE
HEAVIEST DAMAGE OCCURRED TO NUMEROUS CONIFER TREES, WHERE THEY WERE
EITHER SHEARED OFF COMPLETELY AT THE TOP OF THE TREE OR SNAPPED
AT THE BASE. THIS DAMAGE WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH EF-2 ACROSS
MANY AREAS NEAR MIDDLE SMITH LAKE. AS THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO
DESCEND THE TERRAIN TOWARD DALTON CREEK, IT BEGAN TO WIDEN
FURTHER TO 1.1MI IN WIDTH (1900 YDS), SETTING A STATE RECORD FOR
TORNADO WIDTH. EF-1 DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITHIN THE DALTON CREEK
AREAS WITH NUMEROUS CONIFER TREES SNAPPED AT THE BASE AND ASPEN
GROVES FLATTENED. THE TORNADO WOULD BEGIN TO WEAKEN AND BEGIN
NARROWING SHORTLY AFTER REACHING ITS MAXIMUM WIDTH, THOUGH
CONTINUED TO PRODUCE WIDESPREAD DAMAGE TO ASPEN GROVES AND OTHER
CONIFER TREES WITHIN RIGHT HAND FORK DALTON CREEK BEFORE DISSIPATING
JUST TO THE WEST OF THE CONFLUENCE OF MIDDLE FORK PETERSON CREEK
AND LEFT HAND FORK PETERSON CREEK AROUND 6200FT AT APPROXIMATELY
2PM MT. THE MAXIMUM WIDTH OF THIS TORNADO WAS 1900 YARDS WITH A
PATH LENGTH OF 5.93 MILES AND WAS ON THE GROUND FOR 16 MINUTES.
IN TOTAL, THIS TORNADO MANAGED TO GAIN 3500FT OF ELEVATION ON ITS
ASCENT AND DESCEND 3200FT TO ITS FINAL POINT, RESULTING IN A
TOTAL ELEVATION CHANGE OF 6700FT. ADDITIONALLY, MANY OF THE CONIFER
TREES THAT WERE SNAPPED HAVE AN AGE ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND 100-
200 YEARS OLD. SPECIAL THANKS TO THE DAVIS COUNTY EMERGENCY
MANAGERS FOR THE ASSISTANCE WITH THE DAMAGE SURVEY, AND ANOTHER
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR LOCAL SPOTTERS FOR REPORTING THE DAMAGE.
EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE
FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
EF0.....65 TO 85 MPH
EF1.....86 TO 110 MPH
EF2.....111 TO 135 MPH
EF3.....136 TO 165 MPH
EF4.....166 TO 200 MPH
EF5.....>200 MPH
NOTE:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT AND PUBLICATION IN
NWS STORM DATA.
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