The official temperature at KSLC today was 109, the 700mb temperature set a record high as well of 21.0 C. Of note however is the temperatures at KSLC are reading high due to the change in ground cover directly under and around the site. Even with the temperatures reading high due to the ground cover changes I still think we would have set a record high but likely closer to 108.
The current airport location has undergone significant changes in ground cover since it was installed in 2010. In June 2010 (see below image) it was a grassy/weedy area with less pavement/buildings around, the observation site now (May 2025) is surrounded by dirt/gravel with more buildings/pavement encroaching on the site. Nothing can be done to eliminate the large scale urban heat island effect which is one reason for the warmer temperatures. The second reason for the warming temperatures is the change in ground cover directly under and around KSLC which something could be done about. The native vegetation could be restored directly under and around the site or the site could be moved 0.25 miles to the south where native vegetation still exists.
For how 2 meter temperatures are effected by ground cover check out this article https://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0187-62362008000200002 that includes a comparison (article 3.2) of the 2 meter air temperatures on 15 calm, sunny, dry days. The study looked at the air temperature difference over three different surface types including asphalt/concrete, soil, & grass. This study can directly relate to what is going on at KSLC on sunny light wind days with the change in ground cover directly under and around the station changing from a weedy/grassy area to dirt/gravel area.
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