There’s an end in sight to the heat wave that has Utah in its grip, but only after the state suffers through a bit more record-breaking temperatures.
A heat advisory is in effect until 8 p.m. Wednesday over much of Utah — including Salt Lake City, according to the National Weather Service. It had been expected to hit 102, but temperatures instead rose to 107 degrees by 3:30 p.m., tying the all-time record high for the capitol city. The normal high for Wednesday’s date (Sept. 7) is 85 degrees.
Salt Lake City has officially broken heat records every day this week.
It hit 105 at the Salt Lake International Airport on Tuesday, breaking the heat record in Salt Lake City not just for the day but for the month. The former September heat record in Salt Lake City was 104, set on Monday.
Those heat records lasted one day before Wednesday’s 107 degrees incinerated them, too.
Wednesday also marked the 34th day of triple-digit temperatures recorded this year, obliterating the old record of 21 triple-digit days set in 1960 and matched again in 1994 and 2021.
It’s expected to be cooler on Thursday, though not exactly cool. The weather service is forecasting a high of 95. And a cold front — well, a not-so-hot front — is expected to drop temperatures into the mid-80s on Friday.
The forecast calls for temperatures in the upper 80s Saturday through Monday. And there’s a chance of showers and thunderstorms on Monday night and Tuesday, when a high of 82 is expected.
Looking even further ahead, above-normal precipitation is expected across Utah, according to the National Weather Service’s 6-10 day forecast (for Sept. 12-16).
Meanwhile, it’s even hotter in southern Utah. There’s not just a heat warning but an excessive heat warning in the southwestern corner of the state — including St. George and Zion National Park — until 8 p.m. on Wednesday, with “dangerously hot conditions” and temperatures of up to 110 expected.
Southern Utah won’t see much relief until the weekend. The forecast in St. George calls for a high of 105 on Thursday and 100 on Friday, before temperatures fall to the low- to mid-90s Saturday-Tuesday, which is about normal for this time of year.
There’s a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms on Monday and Tuesday in the St. George area.
(National Weather Service) Above-normal precipitation is expected for Utah from Sept. 12-16.
