ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) – The heat in St. George made history on July 10, 2021.
After a lengthy review, the National Weather Service of Salt Lake City (NWSSLC) announced that the State Climate Extremes Committee has verified that a record high temperature of 117°F in St. George was tied on July 10, 2021.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA NCEI), the original temperature record of 117°F was set in July 1985 in St. George, roughly two-and-a-half miles away from where the tie was set.
The record tie came as a result of the heatwave that surged throughout the Great Basin last July.
The NOAA NCEI notes that through an investigation of the record tie, a contributing factor was numerous higher temperatures observed in the surrounding area, including the roof of a building that had been thrown out that was producing heat waves of 120°F.
ABC4’s Chief Meteorologist Alana Brophy weighed in on the record tie, explaining, “Last summer was definitely one for the Utah history books. We had the hottest meteorological summer on record in Salt Lake City with the average temperature at the airport sitting at 80.9°F, so it’s not a surprise that St. George officially recorded the hottest statewide temperature at 117°F.”
“Several periods of high pressure dominating the weather story led to extreme heat and above-average numbers. We saw our earliest 109°F degree temperature in Salt Lake on June 4, tied the hottest high in the capital city at 107°F , and now this 117°F takes the cake when it comes to excessive heat,” Brophy added. “Climatologically speaking, St. George has a period each summer where the average high is above 100°F, but 117°F mimics more of a Phoenix summer day. In St. George, the hottest month of the year on average is July where the seasonal daytime high at 102°F and an overnight low of 76°F.”
She continued, “I started my television career in St. George, and while Utahns in Southern Utah know what to expect with those triple digits and how to handle a heat wave, Washington County saw relentless heat in the summer of 2021. You may remember, we also tied the all-time record for triple-digit days in Salt Lake City last summer hitting 21 days, as opposed to the average of four each year.”
