Geo / Climate
Within three distinct geographic regions - the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado Plateau, and the Basin and Range Province, Utah ranges in elevation from 2,350 feet above sea level in the southwest corner of the state to 13,528 feet on Kings Peak in the Uinta Mountains. Salt Lake City sits at an elevation of 4,300 feet above sea level. Five major life zones, each with a distinctive community of plants, are found within that elevation range, from the sagebrush and juniper typical of the Sonoran desert to the meadow grass and moss of the alpine tundra. Eight times saltier than your average ocean, the 2,000 square mile Great Salt Lake shimmers on the horizon 16 miles west of Salt Lake City. Inhospitable to everything but brine shrimp, the Great Salt Lake is all that's left of the Ice Age's ancient Lake Bonneville when it receded to form the bowl of the Salt Lake Valley.
Low humidity and lots of sunshine are two favorable aspects of Utah's weather. In Salt Lake County, the summer daytime relative humidity averages less than 30 percent, and the sun shines an average of 237 days a year with 67 percent annual sunshine. Annual precipitation varies from less than five inches in Utah's Great Salt Lake desert to more than 60 inches in the northern mountain ranges. Snow frequently accumulates to depths of 10 feet or more at many Wasatch Mountain ski resorts. Because of the state's inland location and because winter storms pass over the Great Salt Lake, which draws excessive moisture from the clouds, Utah's snow is unusually dry and is considered by many skiers to be the world's greatest powder snow.
AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURE 51.8 F
AVERAGE JULY TEMPERATURE 92.2 F
AVERAGE JANUARY TEMPERATURE 36.4 F
AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL 15.7
AVERAGE ALTITUDE: 4,200 TO 5,200 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL