Salt Lake City Ties February Heat Record
At 3:00 p.m. on February 5th, thermometers in Salt Lake City hit a whopping 69 degrees Fahrenheit, reported KSL News. The unseasonably warm day officially ties for the warmest recorded temperature in Salt Lake City for the month of February. The last day to hit 69 degrees in the month was February 28, 1972. The temperature also broke the previous daily record from 1925.
Heat in Salt Lake turned what could have been a nice refresh for the many ski areas in the Wasatch into a rainstorm and a whole lot of slush. Many resorts in the area are below their average snowpack for the year. Despite storms over the holidays, Park City is reporting 66% of its median snowpack, Alta is at 88% and Brian Head, in southern Utah, is at a measly 50%. Utah skiers shouldn't despair just yet. According to the OpenSnow forecast from February 6, cold air is headed back to the Wasatch, along with snow. Upper elevations in the Cottonwood Canyons could see a few inches of wetter snow tonight and there are increasing chances of significant snowfall Friday through Saturday morning. There's also increasing confidence for a low pressure trough to move in from February 13-15.
Although early February is a decent way through the ski season, there's still a lot of potential for La Niña to deliver to Utah and bring those snow totals up. La Niña is know for bringing colder, late season storms to Utah.Be the first to read breaking ski news with POWDER. Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of skiing. From ski resort news to profiles of the world's best skiers, we are committed to keeping you informed.
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San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Here's why forecasters see California turning red on this map
California's first real taste of summer arrived recently, with temperatures pushing triple-digit highs from Redding to Palm Springs, heat more typical of July than spring. Yet during last week's heat wave, due to fog pooled beneath the Golden Gate Bridge that spilled over western San Francisco, afternoon highs only hit the low 60s in San Francisco. Meanwhile, just 30 miles inland, Concord baked at 100 degrees. These sharp temperature contrasts mark a California summer rite of passage, but forecasts suggest a less pronounced divide for future heatwaves this year. That's because coastal areas may have to rely on a thinner marine layer, which means less of the cooling ocean air that typically allows places like S.F. to stay comfortable. According to the seasonal outlook from NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, most inland areas in California have a 60% to 70% chance of experiencing one of the warmest summers since 1991. This forecast extends a clear warming trend. California's average summer temperature has come in above the 1991–2020 climatological normal every year since 2012. The run peaked in 2024, the hottest summer for California in over 100 years, when Sacramento, Stockton, Redding and San Jose all shattered their all-time seasonal heat records. This summer, even traditionally mild coastal cities face a coin‑flip level chance for above normal warmth, hinting that the marine layer may not offer its usual insulation. Rain won't offer relief either this summer and that's no surprise. California summers are historically dry and the Climate Prediction Center's 'equal chances' designation simply means the long range forecast models see no clear signal to tip the odds toward wetter or drier conditions. In practical terms, the state can expect its familiar pattern of scant summer rainfall even as the temperature outlook climbs. 'There really isn't much push from El Niño, La Niña, or other classic climate drivers,' said Johnna Infanti, a forecaster with the Climate Prediction Center. 'Yet every major model we run is pointing toward heat from June through August.' Why are the forecast models so sure of the heat? UCLA Climate scientist Daniel Swain sees two forces at work. First, he says, is the rising baseline: 'Climate change means most recent summers already start warmer than the 30- to 40-year average.' Second is an ocean pattern forecast models clearly detect even if meteorologists are not exactly sure what it is. As Swain puts it: 'There is something in the initial state of the Earth system — mostly the sea-surface-temperature pattern beyond ENSO, that is forcing this persistent very hot signal. We know it isn't El Niño, so it has to be something else, and we may not even have a clear name for it yet.' California's trend of increasingly severe heat waves illustrates these warnings. Cities statewide have witnessed a notable uptick in extremely hot days. Last summer shattered heat records across several locations, including Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield and Redding, each experiencing significantly more triple-digit days than their historical averages. Even more concerning are increasingly warm summer nights, disrupting the critical overnight cooling that communities depend on for recovery from daytime heat. The Climate Prediction Center's latest outlook suggests 2025 will once again deliver an above‑average run of 100‑degree afternoons and unusually warm overnight lows across much of the state. The hotter, drier backdrop will impact the fire season as well. Cal Fire and the National Interagency Fire Center reported that a lush grass crop is drying weeks ahead of schedule in Southern California. Sparse winter rains in that region left soils thirsty and vegetation quick to brown. The summer outlook shows July with above normal large fire potential over nearly all of Northern California and much of the Sierra and Coast Ranges. That risk expands to nearly the entire state by August, as persistent heat and drought-stressed fuels could push fire activity above normal this summer. The Southwest monsoon activity signals are mixed this year. Sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of California are running above normal, a warm bath that can fuel northbound moisture pulses. The Madden‑Julian Oscillation, a slow‑moving pulse of tropical thunderstorms that circles the globe every 30 to 60 days, is forecast to stay active into late June. And if that pulse coincides with a strengthening of the ridge of high pressure, it could help pull more monsoon moisture north in July. Meanwhile, NOAA calls for a subdued eastern Pacific hurricane season, a key late summer moisture source. Taken together, forecasts show no strong tilt toward a wetter or drier monsoon. As July and August approach, prolonged heat waves, particularly inland, seem increasingly likely. 'The models were really, really, really insistent on above‑normal temperatures across the entire U.S., not just over the West,' Infanti noted. California should brace for another exceptionally hot and largely dry summer, with inland valleys racking up many more 100‑degree days than usual and nights that stay uncomfortably warm.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
School's out: climate change keeps Pakistan students home
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Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with limited resources for adaptation, and extreme weather is compounding an existing education crisis caused mostly by access and poverty. "Soon we will have major cognitive challenges because students are being impacted by extreme heat and extreme smog over long periods of time," said Lahore-based education activist Baela Raza Jamil. "The poorest are most vulnerable. But climate change is indeed a great leveller and the urban middle class is also affected." Pakistan's summers historically began in June, when temperatures hit the high 40s. But in the last five years, May has been similarly hot, according to the Meteorological Department. "During a power outage, I was sweating so much that the drops were falling off my forehead onto my desk," 15-year-old Jannat, a student in Lahore, told AFP. "A girl in my class had a nosebleed from the heat." - Health versus learning - Around a third of Pakistani school-age children -- over 26 million -- are out of school, according to government figures, one of the highest numbers in the world. And 65 percent of children are unable to read age-appropriate material by age 10. School closures affect almost every part of Pakistan, including the country's most populous province Punjab, which has the highest rates of school attendance. Classes closed for two weeks in November over air pollution, and another week in May because of heat. In the previous academic year, three weeks were lost in January to a cold snap and two weeks in May due to heat. Political unrest and cricket matches that closed roads meant more lost days. In Balochistan, Pakistan's poorest province, May heatwaves have prompted early summer vacations for three years running, while in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, school hours are regularly slashed. For authorities, the choice is often between sending children to school in potentially dangerous conditions or watching them fall behind. In southern Sindh province, authorities have resisted heat-related closures despite growing demands from parents. "It's hard for parents to send their children to school in this kind of weather," private school principal Sadiq Hussain told AFP in Karachi, adding that attendance drops by 25 percent in May. "Their physical and mental health is being affected," added Dost Mohammad Danish, general secretary of All Sindh Private Schools and Colleges Association. "Don't expect better scientists from Pakistan in the coming years." - 'Everyone is suffering' - Schools in Pakistan are overseen by provincial authorities, whose closure notices apply to all schools in a region, even when they are hundreds of kilometres (miles) apart and may be experiencing different conditions, or have different resources to cope. Teachers, parents and education experts want a rethink of school hours, exam timetables and vacations, with schools able to offer Saturday classes or split the school day to avoid the midday heat. Izza Farrakh, a senior education specialist at the World Bank, said climate change-related impacts are affecting attendance and learning outcomes. "Schools need to have flexibility in determining their academic calendar. It shouldn't be centralised," she said, adding that end-of-year exams usually taken in May could be replaced by regular assessments throughout the year. Adapting school buildings is also crucial. International development agencies have already equipped thousands of schools with solar panels, but many more of the country's 250,000 schools need help. Hundreds of climate-resilient schools funded by World Bank loans are being built in Sindh. They are elevated to withstand monsoon flooding, and fitted with solar panels for power and rooftop insulation to combat heat and cold. But in Pakistan's most impoverished villages, where education is a route out of generational poverty, parents still face tough choices. In rural Sukkur, the local school was among 27,000 damaged or destroyed by unprecedented 2022 floods. Children learn outside their half-collapsed school building, unprotected from the elements. "Our children are worried, and we are deeply concerned," said parent Ali Gohar Gandhu, a daily wage labourer. "Everyone is suffering." nz-sam/ecl/sah/rsc/sco
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Beach days! First heat wave of the year is coming to Vancouver
Temperatures are expected to soar into the high 20s through the weekend and beyond across Metro Vancouver, as the first sustained heat wave of the year settles into the B.C. South Coast. Although the thermostat topped out at about 28 degrees Celsius at Vancouver airport on May 28, it was a one-day wonder, as temperatures were closer to seasonal on the days before and after that sultry Saturday. With sunny skies in the forecast through at least next Tuesday, the daily high in Vancouver on Friday will be 20 C and up to 25 C inland. The humidex, which combines the effect of air moisture with temperature, will make it feel as toasty as 27 C. Saturday and Sunday will be even warmer, with highs of 22 and 23 C respectively near the water and 28 and 29 C inland. The same pattern holds on Monday and Tuesday, with highs of 23 and 24 and up to 29 C away from coastal areas. The UV index across the next few days will also be very high, so slap on that sunscreen if you're hitting the beach or spending much time outdoors. Overnight lows will drop into the mid-teens near the water, but it could stay warmer inland, so you might want to get the fans or air conditioner set up if you haven't already. While the balmy pre-summer weather likely won't warrant any heat warnings along the B.C. coast, areas further east could get some high heat. Kelowna is expected to reach daily highs into the low 30s C early next week, and Kamloops could top out at 35 C on Monday. B.C.'s perennial hot spot, Lytton, could see a daily high of 37 C on Sunday, which for old-school Fahrenheit fans equates to just a tick below 100 degrees. With some cloud in the forecast beginning late Tuesday, temperatures are expected to dip into the mid-teens in the latter half of the week ahead. However, the long-term forecast from the Weather Network calls for lower-than-normal precipitation and a warm summer ahead. Consider the next few days — pardon the pun — a warm-up. jruttle@ Drought, wildfire concerns with warm summer forecast for B.C. Winds expected to drive wildfire toward Kelly Lake in B.C.
