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SALT LAKE CITY — June was quite hot in Utah.
Last month was Salt Lake City's second-hottest June in 150 years of data collection, according to National Weather Service data. The city's average temperature reached 77.6 degrees Fahrenheit, 2.6 degrees below its record set in 2021 but 6 degrees above its normal for the past 30 years.
While the National Centers for Environmental Information won't compile a statewide report until next week, available weather service data shows that June temperatures were well above normal across the state:
- Alta: 57.1 degrees (3.8 degrees above normal)
- Bluff: 78.6 degrees (4.9 degrees above normal)
- Cedar City: 73.3 degrees (6.7 degrees above normal)
- Logan: 69.1 degrees (5.5 degrees above normal)
- Provo: 77.1 degrees (6 degrees above normal)
- St. George: 85.7 degrees (5.3 degrees above normal)
Hayden Mahan, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, explains that this is primarily the result of hot-pressure systems that blocked the last of the spring storms that normally end up in Utah, providing precipitation and cooler temperatures. Many of those storms ended up traveling north of the state this year, leaving Utah with hotter and drier conditions more often than not.
There were some exceptions, such as the storms that mostly impacted southeast Utah over the final two weeks of the month.
What's expected this week
Meanwhile, July is already off to a cooler start for some parts of Utah. In fact, relief is expected in the first week of July in parts of Utah, including on the Fourth of July, but Mahan says this won't apply everywhere.
A "dry, decaying" cold front is forecast to sweep through the northern half of the state on Monday before it falls apart over central Utah by early Tuesday, according to KSL meteorologist Matt Johnson. While it's not expected to provide much rain, if at all, it's forecast to help keep temperatures near normal or even below normal this week across the Wasatch Front.
High temperatures in the region are currently forecast to stay in the mid-to-upper 80s and low 90s through the workweek, including on July 4. Overnight temperatures are expected to drop into the 60s, offering a nightly cooldown that wasn't as frequent in June. Temperatures are forecast to get back into the mid-to-upper 90s by the weekend.
It's a different story in southern Utah, which isn't expected to receive the cooler air. St. George is forecast to reach 107-109 degrees every day between Wednesday and Sunday. Zion National Park rangers note that they expect busy crowds for the July 4 weekend, so those planning for a trip there — or other parks in the region — should prepare for possible excessive heat.
Mahan says there could also be more red flag warnings, especially in southwest Utah where heat, low relative humidity and wind combine to create perfect fire conditions. With Utah's firework window running between Tuesday and Friday for the holiday, he recommends that people avoid launching any fireworks when it's windy. This is also true throughout the state, where prime fire conditions are emerging after a hot and dry June.
"If it's windy outside, don't be shooting off fireworks," he said. "If the wind is blowing, then fire can obviously spread. So if it's really windy outside, then just go ahead and hold off on your fireworks until another period where it's not as windy."
Southeast Utah could receive some scattered showers early in the week, which is tied to a high-pressure system set up over Texas that is helping send moisture to areas west of that state, Mahan adds. But the probability of storms fades as that system moves east, taking tropical moisture with it. High temperatures are forecast to reach the mid-90s and low 100s around Moab this week.
Full seven-day forecasts for areas across Utah can be found online at the KSL Weather Center.
