It’s the hottest July globally, but Utah has seen hotter
Jul 28, 2023, 6:00 PM
Scientists say it's been over a century since July has been this hot. However, Utah has seen hotter, according to an expert. Hannah Christensen holds a towel that's been soaking in ice water against her head to keep cool while taking a break from playing soccer during the University of Utah High School Match Camp in Salt Lake City on Monday, June 20, 2016. (Kristen Murphy/Deseret News)
(Kristen Murphy/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Scientists say it’s been several millennia since July has been this hot worldwide. However, Utah has seen hotter, according to the National Weather Service.
Scientists looking at tree rings, rock layers and other natural records estimate it’s been 120,000 years since July has been this hot.
However, that’s for the global average.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Alex DeSmet said it’s slightly different for Utah this year.
“It’s been a hot July, but fortunately not as hot as last year,” DeSmet said. “In 2021, was the second hottest July, so this July has slightly took the edge off just a little bit.”
According to DeSmet, July 2022 was the hottest Utah has seen. That’s from nearly 160 years of data.
DeSmet said it’s a trend from St. George to Logan, with each city’s top ten hottest temperatures hitting in the last 25 or so years.
Devin Oldroyd contributed to this story.
Related stories
- Study links heat waves and pollution to heart attack risk
- Hiking in the heat? Know before you go
- Biden looks to provide relief from extreme heat as record high temperatures persist across the US
- As youth football practices kick off, high temperatures bring danger
- It’s so hot in Arizona, doctors are treating a spike of patients who were burned by falling on the ground
