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SALT LAKE CITY — Record-breaking heat, small fires and wind advisories hit Utah Sunday before a cold front moved in that is set to bring relief through the night and into Monday.
Not only did Sunday mark the first day in 2022 over 100 degrees in Salt Lake City, temperatures also reached a record-102 degrees at 5:29 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. The previous record of 101 degrees was set in 1918.
Three small fires across the state were also reported Sunday. A vegetation fire burned about 10 acres in Saratoga Springs near the Public Safety Building at 367 S. Saratoga Road. The fire department said it was 90% contained and only threatened some old, unused farm structures.
June 12th has reached 102 degrees, not only becoming the first >100 degree day but also exceeding the previous old record high temperature for the day in Salt Lake City. #UTwxpic.twitter.com/44B0Rq3o6f
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) June 13, 2022
In Orderville east of Zion National Park, smoke from a fire impacted traffic on U.S. Highway 89. The fire was human-caused and a line was established around the fire by 7:15 p.m.
The third fire near Fillmore burned an estimated 15-20 acres, but fire crews will remain on site through the evening as winds and high temperatures remain a threat, according to fire officials.
The weather service issued a red flag warning for the southern and eastern parts of Utah due to wind and low humidity. The warning was set to last until 10 p.m.
The eastern part of the state saw a high wind warning or wind advisory for most of the day, and Monday should bring more winds as well, with the eastern Uinta basin and southeast Utah set to see winds between 30 mph and 40 mph and gusts up to 60 mph.
Relief from the high temperatures is on the horizon though. By 8 p.m., temperatures in northern Utah began dropping 15-20 degrees as a cold front began to move through the Wasatch Front.
Utahns can expect to see temperatures about 10 degrees cooler in the south and more than 25 degrees cooler in the north, according to the weather service.
