SALT LAKE CITY — As the first full week of spring begins, temperatures are rising, and from Salt Lake City to St. George, it could be record-breaking hot.
We’ve been having beautiful spring weather thanks to high pressure, but as it moves east, a southerly wind can come in. This will bring warm air from the Desert Southwest across the Beehive State and set new records for temperatures.
Tuesday’s highs will be 15 to 20° above normal. This means that afternoon highs in the valleys will be comfortable in the low to mid-70s. Most towns in northern Utah will still be close to setting records, but southern Utah has a good chance!
The hottest March 25 in Cedar City was 70°, which happened in 2022. With a high of 74° expected today, they are well above that mark. It’s also likely that St. George will beat their old record of 87°, which was set in 2022, by one degree.
The temperature rises even more on Wednesday, which could be a record day for most of the state. It’s expected that Salt Lake City will have its first 80° day of the season and St. George will have its first 90° day. If true, those would be the earliest 80° and 90° days ever recorded.
This past March 31, 2012, was the first time Salt Lake hit the 80s. April 2, 1966, was the first time St. George hit the 90s. Since we are way ahead of plan, the first 80° day in Salt Lake will likely happen around May 3, and the first 90° day in St. George will likely happen around April 29.
It will get a little cooler on Thursday, but Salt Lake could stay in the low 80s if the winds from the south stay strong. This would beat the previous record of 79°, which was set in 2022. On Friday, the temperature will drop sharply back to the 50s, 60s and even a few 70s in warm places, which is more in line with what it usually is this time of year.