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SALT LAKE CITY — The heat is back.
The National Weather Service on Tuesday issued heat advisories and excessive heat warnings all across Utah that will go into effect Wednesday as temperatures will again soar around 100 degrees across the state. The advisories and warnings will remain in place through at least Thursday in northern Utah and the end of the week in southern Utah, according to the federal agency.
The heat actually begins Tuesday, with highs across northern and central Utah flirting against triple digits, and parts of southern Utah exceeding it. KSL meteorologist Kristen Van Dyke explained a high-pressure system is building up once again, which is pushing clouds and moisture away.
"That moisture we've had the past couple of days, that's helped it feel a little bit cooler here (and) generated some thunderstorms ... it's moving east," she said. "That heads out and then we get into this really dry, hot flow over the next few days."
The National Weather Service's excessive heat warning, which goes into effect 9 a.m. Wednesday and expires 9 p.m. Sunday, covers southern parts of Washington County, as well as Zion National Park and the Lake Powell area. It includes the communities of Big Water, Bullfrog, Hurricane, Ivins, Springdale and St. George. Temperatures are forecast to reach 108 to 112 degrees every day during that stretch, according to the warning.
Two of the National Weather Service's heat advisories go into effect 10 a.m. Wednesday and expire 9 p.m. Thursday. They cover a vast range of Utah areas from Logan, throughout the Wasatch Front and central Utah to Cedar City and Hanksville. Temperatures are expected to exceed 100 degrees throughout those areas, reaching a forecast high of 104 degrees in some areas.
The weather service issued another advisory for Escalante and Kanab, which goes into effect 9 a.m. Wednesday and continues through 9 p.m. Sunday. The agency expects highs to top out at 102 degrees in those areas.
The warnings and advisories urge Utahns to take precautions to avoid heat-related illnesses. They advise people to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of liquids, avoid strenuous labor during the heat of the day and stay in an air-conditioned room if possible. The alerts also ask for people to check up on relatives and neighbors more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses and to not leave young children or pets unattended in vehicles for any reason.
People are also advised to wear lightweight and loose-fitting clothing when possible and take frequent breaks when working outdoors.
Previous heat waves resulted in spikes of rescue calls at Zion National Park. In response, rangers asked visitors to consider trying just portions of trails during hot times of the day or avoiding any trails with elevation gains altogether during the hottest times of the day. That's in addition to recommendations about hydration and clothing included by the National Weather Service.
The forecast follows an exceptionally hot June across Utah that's carried into July. For instance, Salt Lake City reached 100 degrees for the ninth time this year on Sunday. The year 2021 is quickly rising up the leaderboard in terms of 100-degree days in one year within the National Weather Service's 147-year history tracking the city's weather.
Entering Tuesday, Salt Lake City's nine consecutive triple-digit temperature days put 2021 in a tie for 21st all-time in the category. This week could move 2021 closer to the Top 10. Salt Lake City has received a dozen or more triple-digit temperature days just 13 times since 1874, including 14 last year. The record is 21 days, which was set in 1960 and matched in 1994.
Full forecasts for areas across Utah can be found at the KSL Weather Center.
