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EF2-EF3 Tornado Strikes Near Kaysville After Warning

By Drooid · Sep 19, 2026, 3:00 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

The U.S. Weather Service Salt Lake City office issued a tornado warning at 2:15 p.m. Friday.
A tornado with EF2-EF3 signatures struck a mountainside near Kaysville, about 20 miles north of Salt Lake City.
Brittany Whitlam reported debris lofted 4,000 feet and said it was Utah’s third tornado this year.
The tornado likely lifted before reaching Interstate 84.
It was the Salt Lake City office’s second tornado warning in 2026, the first since 2011.

History

Historical Context

On May 22 2011 an EF5 tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri, killing 161 people, flattening about one-third of the city and prompting a federal disaster declaration visited by President Barack Obama and FEMA director Craig Fugate. The event spurred changes in emergency-management policy, leading agencies such as FEMA to revise risk models and expand tornado-warning resources, a shift evident in the 2026 Salt Lake City office warning.

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Story summary

The U.S. Weather Service Salt Lake City office issued a tornado warning at 2:15 p.m. Friday.
A tornado with EF2-EF3 signatures struck a mountainside near Kaysville, about 20 miles north of Salt Lake City.
Brittany Whitlam reported debris lofted 4,000 feet and said it was Utah’s third tornado this year.
The tornado likely lifted before reaching Interstate 84.
It was the Salt Lake City office’s second tornado warning in 2026, the first since 2011.

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