This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Rising to an 81-degree dawn, northern Utahns knew they were in for one hot Hump Day. That was just a start: Wasatch Front high temperatures will hover around triple-digits for the remainder of the week.

After highs toying with 100 degrees on Wednesday, a 101-degree Thursday was predicted for Salt Lake City. Friday was to be perhaps 2-3 degrees cooler, but still well above the July average of 91 for the state's capital city. South winds of 10-20 mph — and isolated thunderstorms and showers — were expected to stir the sweltering skies Thursday evening.

Overnight lows, however, won't offer much in the way of good sleeping weather; even at full nightfall, temperatures will range into the mid- to upper-70s.

If the heat misery index was elevated in northern Utah, it was pulsing toward "you've-got-to-be-kidding-me" in the high deserts and redrock ranges of the south. Though there was a slight chance for thunderstorms and rain showers in Utah's Dixie beginning Wednesday, the high forecast for St. George was 106. The same merciless heat was expected for Thursday, and Friday was to see the mercury soar to a hellish 109 degrees.

The Utah Division of Air Quality rated most of the state's monitoring districts at "green," or healthy for particulate pollution; the exceptions were the "yellow," or compromised grades given to Salt Lake, Utah, Carbon and Uintah counties through the remainder of this week.

As of Wednesday, the Intermountain Allergy & Asthma website reported that none of its usual culprit plants showed at elevated levels on its pollen index.

For more extensive forecast information, visit The Salt Lake Tribune's weather page at: http//www.sltrib.com/weather/.

Twitter: @remims