Salt Lake sees third-hottest July, but August could bring relief

SALT LAKE CITY — The July 2023 heat wave was no joke.

This July marked the third-hottest July in Salt Lake City’s recorded history. The average temperature of 85.3 degrees Fahrenheit was bested only by July 2021 (85.7 degrees), and July 2022 (87.3 degrees).

KSL Meteorologist Matt Johnson also confirmed that July had 12 days with highs above 100 degrees, much less than the 18 triple-digit days Salt Lake had in 2022. That streak was part of a record 34 100-degree days in 2022.

So far in 2023, all of Salt Lake’s triple-digit days came in July.

Salt Lake City also had abnormally dry weather, even by July’s standards. Officials said the city saw only .06 inches of rain during July which is 12% of the normal amount. Johnson said Salt Lake normally sees about a half-inch of rain in July.

Relief on the horizon

August, which typically sees cooler temperatures than July due to the monsoon season, is looking much cooler for 2023. Johnson said long-range models, which make predictions 14 to 20 days out, aren’t predicting any highs above the low-90s in Salt Lake City.

Johnson said the monsoon season is a big reason why temperatures start to cool off in a typical August. That’s thanks to more cloud cover and more moisture in the air.

“It doesn’t even have to rain,” Johnson said. “The more moisture you have in the air, the harder it is to get a hotter temperature.”

However, Johnson warned that Salt Lake usually lands one more heat wave after July. While it’s not forecasted now, he estimated there’s a 60% chance of one more heat wave hitting Salt Lake City before autumn.

KSL meteorologists are forecasting highs in the upper-80’s through Friday, with a good chance of thunderstorms Wednesday and Thursday.

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• The number one cause of weather-related deaths: Heat