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SALT LAKE CITY — The thermometer at Salt Lake City International Airport reached 100 degrees late Friday afternoon as Salt Lake City officially broke its record of the earliest triple-digit temperature in the city's 147-year-old documented weather history.
The previous record for the earliest 100-degree day in Salt Lake City was set just last year on June 5, according to the National Weather Service. The agency added that Friday's temperature also broke the daily record for June 4, which was 98 degrees in 2012.
🥵 We have officially hit 100°F at Salt Lake City. Not only does this break the record for the date (previously 98°F in 2012), but it is the earliest SLC has hit 100°F on record. The previous earliest 100°F day was June 5, 2020. #utwx
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) June 4, 2021
More records were also either tied or broken Friday, according to the weather service:
- Alta: 77 degrees (broke record of 76 degrees set in 2012)
- Altamont: 88 degrees (tied record set in 2012)
- Ballard: 99 degrees (broke record of 96 degrees set in 2012)
- Brigham City: 94 degrees (broke record of 91 degrees set in 2012)
- Bryce Canyon: 84 degrees (broke record of 82 degrees set in 2004)
- Castle Valley: 96 degrees (tied record set in 2004)
- Cedar City: 95 degrees (broke record of 94 degrees set in 2016)
- City Creek Water Plant (Salt Lake City): 91 degrees (broke record of 90 degrees set in 2017)
- Deseret: 104 degrees (broke record of 99 degrees set in 2007)
- Eskdale: 98 degrees (broke record of 96 degrees set in 2013)
- Kanab: 100 degrees (broke record of 97 degrees set in 2020)
- Kodachrome State Park: 96 degrees (tied record set in 1996)
- Logan: 95 degrees (broke record of 92 degrees set in 1988)
- Manti: 93 degrees (broke record of 92 degrees set in 1895)
- Mountain Dell Dam (Parleys Canyon): 92 degrees (broke record of 91 degrees set in 1988)
- Ogden: 98 degrees (broke record of 95 degrees set in 1988)
- Price: 96 degrees (broke record of 95 degrees set in 2012)
- Provo-BYU campus: 99 degrees (broke record of 96 degrees set in 2018)
- Downtown Salt Lake City: 96 degrees (broke record of 95 degrees set in 2012)
- Tooele: 97 degrees (broke record of 95 degrees set in 2018)
- Wendover: 99 degrees (broke record of 97 degrees set in 2017)
The weather service also listed seven new high-temperature records Thursday. Those were:
- Cedar City: 92 degrees (tied record set in 2016)
- Kanab: 99 degrees (broke record of 96 degrees set in 1960)
- Kodachrome State Park: 94 degrees (broke record of 92 degrees set in 2016)
- Provo-BYU campus: 96 degrees (broke record of 95 degrees set in 2012)
- Downtown Salt Lake City: 93 degrees (broke record of 92 degrees set in 1988)
- Salt Lake City International Airport: 97 degrees (broke record of 94 degrees set in 1994)
- Tooele: 93 degrees (broke record of 91 degrees set in 2007)
Many people flocked to Utah's mountains ahead of the weekend just to cool down. Liz Romrell was one of them, traveling to the Uinta Mountains to escape the heat and enjoy the scenery.
"The thing about the Uintas is that everywhere is beautiful and so everything we see, we want to explore this place; so, we'll pull over and walk around for an hour or two," she said.
With the early heatwave, Salt Lake County officials said Friday they've also brought back "Cool Zones" for residents to beat the heat. The county opened its air-conditioned senior centers, libraries, and recreational facilities up as indoor spaces for the public to cool down, hydrate and keep away from heat-related illnesses, said Afton January, spokeswoman for the county's Aging & Adult Services Office.
The dozens of locations will remain Cool Zones from now through Oct. 15. The list of facilities and their hours can be found here.
While temperatures are expected to cool down this weekend, it won't be by much. High temperatures are expected to remain in the 80s and 90s all across the state heading into next week.
"This is the peak of the heatwave so temperatures will start to slide down this weekend, but it's going to be a very slow slide and the heat is really not going to go anywhere," said KSL meteorologist Kristen Van Dyke. "We're going to stay above average for a while around here."
Full forecasts for areas across Utah can be found at the KSL Weather Center.
Contributing: Jed Boal, KSL TV
