Salt Lake City Climate Trends
Utah · US States · 50 years of climate trend data
This page tracks how Salt Lake City's climate has shifted over 50 years of daily measurements, warmer summers, milder winters, and changes in rainfall, rather than current conditions. The two clearest signs of change: extremely hot days have grown by 28.4 a year and warm summer nights have grown from 6 to 33.2 a year. Measurement period: the last 50 years (1976-2025).
Data through September 12, 2026.
Frequently asked questions about Salt Lake City's climate
How much warmer have summers in Salt Lake City become?
The average daytime high across June, July and August rose by 3.3°C between 1976-1980 and 2021-2025. That is a five-year average at each end rather than two isolated summers, so a single exceptional heatwave or cool summer does not drive the number.
Have winters in Salt Lake City become milder?
The average daytime high across December, January and February rose by 1.2°C between 1976-1980 and 2021-2025. In many capitals in this dataset winter is changing faster than summer, which shows up most clearly in the frost-day count below.
How many days above 30°C does Salt Lake City get a year?
Salt Lake City averaged 79 days a year above 30°C in 2021-2025, up from 51 in 1976-1980. These are the days that set peak cooling demand and the days hospitals see heat complaints rise.
How many frost days does Salt Lake City still get?
Salt Lake City averaged 127 frost days a year in 2021-2025, down from 133 in 1976-1980. Fewer frost days sounds pleasant, but water pipes, heat pumps and garden planting are all sized for a cold season that increasingly no longer arrives.
Is spring arriving earlier in Salt Lake City?
Spring now starts about 2.7 weeks earlier than in 1976-1980. The start point is the first day the trailing seven-day average high crosses 12°C, a fixed in-house measure used only to compare Salt Lake City against itself rather than against other cities.
Has the growing season in Salt Lake City grown longer?
The growing season is about 13 days longer between 1976-1980 and 2021-2025. That is the stretch between the start of spring and the first autumn night below freezing, which is exactly the window gardens, farming and pollen seasons run inside.
Is rainfall in Salt Lake City getting heavier?
Salt Lake City averaged 3.2 days a year with more than 20mm of rain in 2021-2025, up from 1 in 1976-1980. Warmer air holds more water vapour, so the same annual rainfall increasingly arrives in shorter, harder bursts, which loads drains and water storage more than the annual total suggests.
