This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It's not just the record-setting heat that is worrisome. Along Utah's populous Wasatch Front, the air out there could be hazardous to your health as the holiday weekend approaches.
On Wednesday, the Utah Division of Air Quality issued air action alerts for Salt Lake, Weber, Davis and Utah counties. Urban valleys were particularly polluted due to upper level high pressure and hot temperatures combining with automobile emissions to hike both ozone and smog levels.
Those counties all got "orange," or unhealthy DAQ grades extending to the end of the work week. Authorities urged employers to cut back on travel by their vehicle fleets, and asked individual commuters to use mass transit. The elderly, children and those with heart or lung ailments were urged to avoid extended outdoor activity.
The atmospheric cautions came as northern Utahns looked for a Thursday of highs in the upper-90s to be followed by isolated rain showers and thunderstorms — a twin of Wednesday's forecast.
Southern Utahns continued to bake. Daytime high temperatures on Thursday were to top 104 degrees, down about 3 degrees from the furnace-like conditions prevailing in Utah's Dixie on Wednesday. However, Thursday night held the potential for a little rain and a 10-20 mph breeze to cool things off a bit.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service reported Wednesday that June was the warmest on record for average temperatures (77.5 degrees) and average minimum temperatures (64.5) for the month in Salt Lake City. The state captial also tied the record for the greatest number of days (14) with a minimum temperature of 65 or higher.
On Tuesday, The Utah Test and Training Range rewrote marks for both morning and daytime highs, registering 76 degrees (bettering 72, set in 2006) and 102 (101, 2002).
New daytime highs were reported by Brigham City (100, beating 99, set in 1973), and Escalante (104, bettering 101 set in 2002). Kanab tied its 2013 record high of 104 degrees, while Provo's 72 low was 4 degrees warmer than its previous overnight warmest mark of 68, set in 2013. Alpine (68), Escalante (67) also established new records for warmest low temperatures for June 30, while Fillmore (70) and Laketown (61) tied record warm lows.
The Intermountain Allergy & Asthma website listed mold and grass pollen as "high" Wednesday, while chenopod allergens were "moderate."
For for extensive forecast information, visit the Tribune's weather page at: http://sltrib.com/weather/.
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