It isn’t even summer yet, but Salt Lake City hit 107 degrees on Tuesday, tying the record temperature for the city and breaking the record for June.
The National Weather Service tweeted that it was 107 degrees at Salt Lake City International Airport at 5:43 p.m. The previous recorded hottest temperature for Salt Lake City was 107 degrees in July in 2002 and 1960. The previous record for June was 105 degrees in 2013.
“We just [officially] hit a temperature NEVER before seen in the month of June at Salt Lake City [in] all 147 years of records,” said the NWS earlier in the day, when the temperature hit 106.
Record-breaking heat was also observed in other parts of Utah.
Provo broke its previous June record of 104 when the temperature hit 105 degrees. Tooele broke its record of 102 with 104 degree weather.
Health experts are warning residents to stay hydrated and avoid strenuous exercise during the hottest part of the day.
Critically, people must never leave children or pets in cars as it can lead to severe injuries or death. Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital said in a news release Tuesday that about 40 children die every year in the United States after being left in a hot car.
Heat is also a health concern for elderly people and children. Headaches, nausea and shortness of breath can all be signs of heat-related illness, according to Afton January, a spokeswoman for Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services.
Jennifer Toomer-Cook, a spokeswoman for Primary Children’s Hospital, said five children came to the hospital on Tuesday with headaches after being in the sun. She said those cases weren’t severe and that they mostly required re-hydration.
Many West Jordan residents were left without power amid the heat wave, according to Rocky Mountain Power. The company tweeted that an outage was affecting 1,708 customers around 3 p.m. At 8:30 p.m., there were 221 customers in West Jordan still without power, said a customer service representative, who added that the problem should be fixed by about 1:30 a.m. or sooner. As of 8:45 p.m., the company’s outage map showed 853 total people without power in the southern half of Salt Lake County.
People whose homes are too hot can take advantage of Salt Lake County cooling centers to get some relief.
“Extreme heat can be a safety concern, so we encourage anyone without air conditioning (due to power outage or otherwise) to take advantage of a SLCo Cool Zone today,” said Salt Lake County Health spokesman Nicholas Rupp in an email.
People can use the county’s interactive map to find a cooling center close to their zip code. There are several such centers near West Jordan, including the Taylorsville Park Library, which is open until 9 p.m.
Correction: June 15, 8:54 p.m. • A previous version of this story misidentified the record high temperature for the state of Utah.
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