Utah Climate
Top 5 Cities: Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Provo, West Jordan, and Orem
This month in numbers
Utah experienced its warmest February–April period on record, with an average temperature of 7.78°C, marking an anomaly of +4.6°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. This also made it the 1st warmest February–April for maximum temperatures, at 15.17°C, an anomaly of +5.5°C. April 2026 itself was notably warm, ranking as the 18th warmest April on record with an average temperature of 8.94°C, which is 1.7°C above average. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, at 14.96°C.
What changed
Utah's exceptionally warm February–April period stands in stark contrast to the national picture, where the US as a whole experienced a milder but less extreme +1.4°C anomaly in February and a +3.3°C anomaly in March. Utah's 3-month anomaly of +4.63°C ranks it as the 6th warmest out of 234 regions globally, with nine of the top ten warmest regions being US states, indicating a striking concentration of warmth across the country. The state also ranks as the 6th warmest globally for the 12-month rolling anomaly, at +3.27°C.
What’s driving change?
The record-breaking warmth in Utah is largely being driven by , with an unusually warm and dry winter preventing normal snowpack development. This has led to a statewide drought emergency being declared in May, with all 29 counties experiencing severe to extreme drought conditions. The lack of snow and early melt-off means rivers and reservoirs are running low, and officials are bracing for a challenging summer. This effect is also contributing to an elevated wildfire risk, with 4 wildfire events recorded in May alone, representing 100% of the annual total for Utah. The current ENSO state is Neutral, but forecasts indicate an 82% chance of El Niño developing by May–July, rising to 98% by August–October, which typically brings wetter conditions to the Southwest USA during winter, but no clear temperature signal. More information on extreme weather can be found at Extreme Weather tracker and on ENSO at ENSO tracker.
Looking ahead
The NOAA CPC 3-month outlook suggests above-average temperatures are likely to continue across Utah through the summer, which could further exacerbate drought conditions and wildfire risk.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Utah
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Utah changing?
Utah is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Utah come from?
Climate data for Utah comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Utah climate data cover?
The Utah climate profile covers Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Provo, West Jordan and surrounding areas. Utah climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the Utah climate update refreshed?
The Utah climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.