How a perfect storm spawned Salt Lake's improbable, deadly tornado of 1999
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A photo of a power substation exploding as a tornado hits downtown Salt Lake City on Aug. 11, 1999. Photo: Courtesy of the National Weather Service
Twenty-five years ago this week, a tornado ripped through downtown Salt Lake City, killing one, injuring 80 and leaving a path of destruction through a city considered all but immune to the world's most powerful windstorm.
- This is Old News, our weekly spin through Utah's past.
The intrigue: Tornados seldom happen here, thanks to Salt Lake's arid climate and mountainous terrain.
What happened: On Aug. 11, 1999, warm breezes blew into Salt Lake from the south while higher, colder air blew in from the west and over the Great Salt Lake, setting up the perfect storm.
- Winds at different altitudes were blowing at different speeds — and then thunderstorms developed, spawning a tornado at 12:41pm, per National Weather Service records.
Path of destruction: The F2 twister — winds well over 100mph — moved northeast from about 300 South and 1000 West to the Delta Center and on to Capitol Hill and Memory Grove.
- It finally lifted near 20th Avenue and P Street — about 4 miles from where it started.
- It narrowly missed LDS Hospital but damaged 300 buildings, leaving 34 homes uninhabitable.
Threat level: The tornado hit at a terrible time, while downtown was teeming with out-of-towners setting up tents for the Outdoor Retailer convention.
- Allen Crandy, a 38-year-old Las Vegas man working at the show, was killed when a large tent collapsed.
Yes, but: "We were very lucky," then-mayor Deedee Corradini told the Salt Lake Tribune. "It could have been much, much worse."
Zoom in: The Sun Tavern, SLC's iconic gay bar at 200 South and 600 West, sustained significant damage — leading to speculation that the tornado was a punishment from God, City Weekly reported.
- A photo shows a "Tornado of 1999" banner above the wreckage, proclaiming, "If it happens in Salt Lake — it happens first at the Sun!"
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